Phantom Alternate World Traveler
by ImaginationRevelation
Summary: Two people from two different worlds, each containing supernatural elements, collide.
1. Peace and Quiet

Danny Phantom has been visiting the Ghost Zone more often nowadays. He likes to take time away from the press and his hectic life and just fly around the zone, reminiscing about the good old days, when no one knew his true identity, when his parents hunted him, when his dad had a strong desire to rip him apart molecule by molecule, when his mother wanted to study him, when no one hounded him for autographs or a picture.

It has been four years since Danny saved the world from the asteroid. Instantly, he became a hero and a celebrity. He was honored with a statue. It is an awesome statue. He admits he likes looking at it and that he is one handsome dude. He tries to stay grounded, levelheaded. He knows how easy it is to get an inflated ego. He remembers that experience a long time when the Guys in White bought his parents' lab for a huge amount of cash. He did not like the person he became then and he does not want to relive that.

Becoming a celebrity has made high school the best years of his life, though. He was number one everywhere. People adored him. He appreciated it, but he stayed true to himself and stuck with Tucker and Sam just like they did when no one acknowledged Danny Fenton's existence. Dash stopped picking on him; he became an unwarranted tail that was really hard to shake off. Paulina started flirting with him every time she saw him, but he did not care. He did not succumb to her flirtatious ways. She did not like him when he was a "nobody." He does not like her now that he is "somebody." His younger self would have been kicked him in the shin, unapologetically and very hard. He smiles at the thought. He _has_ grown up a lot.

It has been four years without Vlad Masters/Plasmius, who is somewhere out there. No one cares about him; people have forgotten him. His name is now synonymous with "failure" and "loser." His wealth has been distributed to orphanages and local charities. A portion has been given to Danny as restitution for hunting him and libeling him when he was only trying to save their beloved city. It also serves as payment for his services.

He has amassed some wealth. Ghost hunting has become his career. He pooled in his resources and went into business with his folks. They make great weapons; he catches the specters sometimes with his parents' help, sometimes alone. Danny thought that the ghost hunting business would be a dud, a bust and that no spirits would come back to haunt his town. For some reason, now there is a greater abundance of unruly ghosts in Amity Park more than ever and it is up to the Fentons to protect their city and catch the specters.

It has also been four years since he and Sam started going out. Their relationship has not been a smooth ride. There were many break-ups and make-ups. He is busier now than he was before. He has to go to press conferences, town meetings and hunt ghosts. He is a celebrity and a hero and no one ever said that these lives are easy ones. Sam is overshadowed by the success of her on-again off-again boyfriend. She wishes him well, but sometimes it is too overwhelming even for her, but if she cannot handle it, imagine how he feels. He is the one who is constantly in the spotlight.

Danny and Sam are on a break again for the same reason: Danny does not have enough time for her and this is why Danny is in the Ghost Zone. He is escaping his hectic life. He is escaping Sam. The Ghost Zone is where Danny can be truly alone. One never knows when one will meet another ghost. The Zone is gigantic, which is a problem when Danny needs to urgently find a certain ghost. Today, however, Danny appreciates the Zone's vastness. He does not want to talk to anyone. He wants to be left alone with his thoughts. He never appreciated solitude until his star began to rise. Privacy and isolation have become things of the past. He smiles to himself, wishing he had the Reality Gauntlet to make everyone forget that Danny Fenton is also Danny Phantom.

Danny finally begins to feel at peace. He is floating around aimlessly, enjoying this rare moment. All of a sudden, he hears a draining noise. For an instant, he thinks that he is just hearing things. Stress does this to people (and ghosts apparently).

Something tugs on his legs. He realizes that a wormhole has opened up and he is being sucked into it. He tries to yank himself out of it, but the pull is too powerful. He calls for help, but no ghost is around to aid him. Right now, he curses the Zone's size. In a matter of seconds, he is sucked into the purple wormhole.

'So much for peace and quiet,' he thinks to himself.

A couple of seconds pass and the wormhole opens again. Danny is propelled forward and onto an enormous, snow covered landscape.

'Well, time to look for Frostbite. Maybe he'll know how to help me get home.'

He gets up off the ground and starts flying forward to find the yeti ghost in charge of Realm of the Far Frozen.


	2. The Longest Day

Today was quite an emotionally and physically draining day for Korra. Earlier this morning, Raava was ripped out of her body and she lost connection with all of her past lives. She cannot call upon any of them for advice anymore. She has begun a new Avatar cycle. The thought of her being the first is exhilarating yet daunting. She has to set one hell of an example.

She also defeated Unavaatu, killing her uncle in the process while also stopping chaos from overtaking and annihilating the world. She made a ground-breaking decision. She resolved that the spirit and material worlds would no longer be separated, but rather united.

To make matters a little more emotional, she and Mako broke up a few hours ago. She is sad that this has transpired, but she knows that they both realize that they cannot make their romance function the way they wish they could. She and the firebender are meant to be friends, nothing more.

There has been a positive outcome from the breakup. Now, she and Asami have something else in common other than kicking Equalist butt, saving the world, and generally being kickass chicks. They could spend hours bashing and laughing at Mako, which they probably would do one day while fighting _extreme_ boredom.

Also today, her father had been elected Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, which makes her a princess. 'Great, now I have another title and another responsibility,' she remarks. Regardless of her initial bitter thoughts, these news had made her happy. The Southern Water Tribe is now independent and is going to prosper under the leadership of her father.

There was a huge ceremony and party to match thrown in her and her father's honors. The ceremony has ended a few hours ago and the party commences. She has to shake hands and converse with various incredibly important people. She also has to keep a smile on her face the whole time so that people do not think she is ungrateful and unhappy. She makes polite conversation until her voice is hoarse. Slowly, she inches to the dance floor to be with her friends and dances until she cannot dance anymore. She wants this day to end. She wants to go to sleep. She decides to fake a headache and go home.

Unfortunately, she cannot disappear like a ninja. She has to dodge a number of people, who insist on walking her home. She politely declines. She declares that she needs to be alone. She verbalizes this desire as nicely as possible, but she is on the verge of becoming quite sassy. She excuses herself and voices thousands of versions of "good-bye", "thanks for coming", "nice to see you", "see you later", and "enjoy the South Pole."

Korra finally breaks free from the crowd and the party. She steps outside and inhales the cold air. The wind nips at her cheeks, but she is used to it. Eighteen years of living in the South Pole will toughen one up and she is no doubt one tough girl.

She thanks the spirits that there is no blizzard today and that the sun is still in the sky. Getting home will be easy. On top of everything she has handled today, a snowstorm would cause her to have a meltdown.

She walks down the road winding down to her home. Soon, her home will not be her home. Since her family is royalty now, they will be moved into a palace, which is now in construction. She marvels at how fast the people of the South work. Maybe, they are bored. Maybe, they are happy that the South is independent. Maybe, they are reveling in the fact that the Avatar both hails from their region and now she is also their princess.

Halfway down the road, she realizes that she is not tired anymore. The stuffy ballroom has tricked her into believing that she was drowsy. The howling wind has jolted her awake.

She figures she is filled with too much energy right now and that it would take hours for her to fall asleep. Lying in bed, tossing and turning, forcing herself to fall asleep would literally be a waste of time and Korra likes to be productive. Instead of going home and doing nothing, Korra elects to go to the training grounds to burn off her excessive energy and work out. She will tire herself out. Then, she will definitely have no trouble drifting off to sleep.

Near the training grounds, she spots something that startles her: a hand protruding from the snow. She hopes that the hand is connected to a body and that the person, who owns this hand, is still alive. Holding her breath, she rushes over to the snow covered hand, which stirs slightly. If she blinked at that moment, she might have missed it. The movement has given her confirmation that the hand's person is living. She breathes freely and waterbends the snow off the body.

The body is revealed to be a boy's, about eighteen years of age - Korra's age. He has black hair and is clothed in a T-shirt and jeans and sporting sneakers. 'He is pretty cute,' Korra remarks, 'but he is wearing the weirdest outfit I have ever seen.' She opens one of his eyes- blue.

'Hmm...black hair, which must mean Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom and blue eyes - Water Tribe,' she muses.

She sits there for a few moments, admiring his features, when he stirs again. She realizes that the poor guy must be freezing. She knows Naga is near. Naga likes to hang around the training grounds because that is where Korra frequently spends her time. Korra whistles for Naga and soon, a white polar bear dog comes rushing to Korra's side. Naga licks her owner and Korra pets her friend. She lifts the boy onto the saddle, making sure he is comfortable and secure, and seats herself in front. She gathers the reigns and she signals for Naga to go. Naga, with her tongue wagging, bounds happily and quickly to the igloo Korra calls her home.


	3. A Dream

Danny is experiencing a very weird dream. He is dreaming that he is in Frostbite's domain looking for Frostbite when a strong gust of wind knocks him down onto the snow below. Then, a huge polar bear runs up to him, starts licking his face and begins biting him, while a large number of people stand by, laughing and watching the spectacle while he is struggling to push the beast away.

He stirs and wakes up. The strangest sight meets his eyes, which register that he is in an igloo. He notes that he is under a very warm fur blanket. It takes him a moment to realize that there is someone – a girl - in the room with him. She is sleeping, curled up on a chair. It seems as if she was waiting for him to wake up, but eventually succumbed to her drowsiness and fell asleep.

It dawns that the dream may not have been a dream after all. He takes the blanket off of him and immediately becomes super cold. He quickly checks himself for bite marks, which his body lacks. 'Okay, so a polar did not try to eat me, so what happened?' he wonders.

He knows he was in the Ghost Zone and he was sucked into a wormhole, which spit him out somewhere he assumed was the Frozen Realm. He was flying around looking for Frostbite, but he met no ghost in sight. Then a huge gust of wind knocked him down and then, nothing. He has no clue where he is. All he knows is that he is somewhere unknown and there is someone in the room with him.

He also notices that he is Danny Fenton and not Danny Phantom. In the Ghost Zone as a human, he is able to walk through anything. He gathers that wherever he is, whatever this place is, it is not in the Ghost Zone. He wonders if the girl on the chair is human. Only one way to check. He takes off the blanket and exposes himself temporarily to the cold. He gets up and walks toward the girl. He touches her arm. His hand does not go through her. 'Yup, she is definitely human.'

He becomes interested in her. He observes her. She has soft tan skin. He notices that she is quite muscular; he is impressed. She has soft brown hair, which is separated into multiple ponytails. He cannot see her face; it is buried in her arms. Danny begins to freeze and dives back into the makeshift bed, under the fur blanket.

He warms up and he begins to wonder where he is. Alaska? Siberia? North Pole? Antarctica? This does not look like the Ghost Zone, but he will ask her just in case. It may be some weird 'Human Only' area in the Zone.

The girl awakens and stretches. Danny notes that she is stunning with piercing blue eyes and a nice body. She notices him staring at her and turns around.

"Good morning! I was starting to wonder when you were going to wake up," she says. Her voice is very nice and soothing. It suits her perfectly. Danny is a little starstruck, which is odd for him since he is celebrity.

She keeps on talking. "My name is Korra and I found you unconscious in the snow. You don't seem like you're from around here. Maybe your ancestors were. Blue eyes signify Water Tribe heritage, but you could as well be from the North."

Danny blinks. He has no idea what she is talking about, but she speaks English, which is a good thing. Maybe he is in Alaska, but he is still not going to rule out the 'Human Only' area of the Ghost Zone.

Danny hears a tiny slap. Korra just facepalmed herself. "I just realized that you can't be from one of the poles because you are not properly dressed for this weather. So where are you from? Republic City? Fire Nation? Earth Kingdom?"

Danny is confused. He has never heard of these places before. He wonders if he should have paid more attention in geography. "No, I'm from Amity Park, from America."

She laughs. "You must've really bumped your head. I can heal you if you want me to. It'll help you get your memory back."

Danny is not sure whether she is joking or not. Who does not know what or where America is? He studies her to see if she is humoring him or not. Korra sees the look in his eyes and decides that maybe he does need a healing session. She waterbends some water in her hands. Danny notices the glowing water on her hands and yelps.

"Don't worry. I'm a healer. I learned from Katara, the best in the world."

Danny starts laughing. This is a dream, a really weird dream because only in dreams, people can do magic. It is not a bad one though. It has its perks. The girl is really hot. 'What the hell, this is a dream,' Danny muses. He gets up and passionately kisses Korra, whose eyes widens. She drops the water on the floor and when he pulls away, she punches him pretty hard in the mouth, causing Danny to fall onto the ground. He sits there, thinking and massaging his jaw. 'Maybe this isn't a dream. In my dream, a girl would not punch me after I kiss her. Unless somehow Sam is controlling my dream.' He quickly scans the room, looking for any sign of his on-again off-again Goth girlfriend. Spotting nothing, he turns to Korra and apologizes to her, explaining that he thought this was a dream and that he has no idea where he is.

"You're in the South Pole," she assures him.

"The South Pole?! Antarctica?!" he cries out. "I had no idea people lived there!" He wonders if there is a phone in this igloo, but he figures that he probably cannot call America from Antarctica so he does not mention it.

"Of course, people live here, but I've never heard people call it 'Antirca.'"

Danny frowns, disregarding the mispronunciation of a continent. 'What is going on here?' He wonders if there might be a South Pole in the 'Human Only' section of the Ghost Zone. He knows it might be a long shot, but he has to try.

"Are we possibly in the Ghost Zone?" he asks. "Maybe in a 'Humans Only' area kind of thing?"


	4. Waterbending

"The Ghost Zone?" Korra's brow furrows. She pauses to think. "Do you mean the Spirit World?"

"The Spirit World? Is that what you call it here?" the boy asks. Korra nods. "Are there only humans here?"

"Yes."

"Do you know Frostbite?" he asks.

"Frostbite? Don't you mean 'ice tan'?" Korra jokes. The stranger's face is masked with a look that is both annoyed and confused. Korra notes that he did not get the joke.

"People don't really get frostbites here. Most of them have lived in the South Pole for years - some their whole lives - so they have adapted to the cold," she explains.

"Why anyone would live in the South Pole, where it's _freezing_ , makes no sense to me," he says incredulously.

Korra laughs. She finds it amusing that some people hate the cold. She, on the other hand, loves it. She has grown up in it. Snow is the best weather condition, although she admits, it does get on one's nerves.

"The Poles are paradises for waterbenders," she tells him. She has heard about the waterbenders in the Foggy Swamp, but she does not give them much thought. She finds them to be peculiar. Why would a waterbender want to live somewhere humid? It is unnatural like a firebender living in one of the Poles, which have everything that satisfy waterbenders. There is ice and water everywhere; waterbending training can happen anytime and anywhere.

"Waterbenders? What are waterbenders?"

Korra raises an eyebrow. This stranger intrigues her even though she confuses her more than Mako; she has never met anyone like him. He is very curious, asking so many questions. He does not dress properly for the snowy weather. She wonders how he even made it this far without freezing to death. He must be really strong, an aspect that she finds attractive.

She wonders how one can live in this world and not know what a waterbender is. She explains to him in the simplest way possible. "A waterbender is able to bend water." She does not know any other way to describe what a waterbender is and what a waterbender does.

"Bending water? Like a straw?"

Korra is more confused than ever. She had already bended in front of him. Did he not remember that? She remembered because that was when he kissed her - a good kiss she might add. That was also when she punched him. She still feels her fist stinging a little. She does not normally punch people; she mostly relies on bending to protect herself.

'Is he really this stupid? Or is he teasing me?' She decides to show him some waterbending and goes up to a bucket that is filled with clear cold water. She bends some into the air, forming it into the shape of a starfish. She manipulates the watery starfish so it dances around the stranger and guides it back into the bucket. "No, like that."

His eyes widen. "That was amazing! People can't do that in my world."

Korra has no idea what means when he says that, but then her suspicions are confirmed. If he says that people cannot waterbend where he is from, he must either be from the Fire Nation or the Earth Kingdom. If he lived in Republic City, he would have most likely gone to at least one probending match and witnessed the art form of waterbending.

"So you are either from the Fire Nation or the Earth Kingdom!" Korra exclaims.

"No, I already told you that I'm from Amity Park, America as in United States of. Big country, situated between Canada and Mexico."

Korra's patience is withering fast. The fact that she made it this far with his incessant questions is remarkable. She is getting tired of this game and she wants answers. "This is not funny anymore. Let me heal you. I have no idea what you're saying. Crazy talk is coming out of your mouth." She has been spending so much time with Bolin that she has started to talk like him.


	5. Kumquat Soup

Danny feels fine. He crawls back into the bed. He is cold, but fine. He does not need healing, but maybe an extra blanket. He did not get a straight answer to his question so he asks again. "To clarify, this is not the Ghost Zone slash Spirit World?"

"No, this is not the Spirit World. You might run into some spirits here because the portals have been opened."

Opened portals to the Spirit World? Everything makes sense now. He was floating in the Ghost Zone and thanks to a wormhole there, he is here. Now, he has to get back to the portal and find his way back home to Amity Park. Not a big deal. He acknowledges that this is a lucky situation and that they have a ghost portal, which is opened. Back home, only the Fentons and Vlad have a portal, which is sometimes very inconvenient, especially when once, he altered the past, changing the future and was left without a Fenton ghost portal. Luckily, he found a secret one in Vlad's home, built by his alternate reality mom who was not his mom.

"Okay, now this makes sense." Danny is relieved.

"What makes sense?"

"You might think I'm crazy, but I'll explain it to you anyway. I came from the Ghost World. There was a wormhole and it sucked me in and I landed here - in this totally different world. That explains why you don't know what America or Antarctica are because in your world, apparently, they don't exist. That also explains why you can bend water here while in my world, we can't."

The girl, whose name he forgot, starts laughing. She laughs for quite some time. She looks in his eyes and realizes that he is serious.

"Sorry. I thought you were joking, but stranger things have happened."

"It's cool. Can you take me to the portals? I need your help in getting home."

"Yeah, sure, no problem." She smiles at Danny. "Helping people. It's what I do."

Danny smiles. Now that he knows what is going on, he can relax and think straight. With a clear mind, he realizes that he forgot to thank the girl for saving his life.

"Excuse me, this is going to sound really bad, but I forgot your name," he says shyly.

"It's Korra,"

"Korra, nice to meet you. My name's Danny. I should have said something earlier. I'm so rude - forgive me." Danny is a bit uncomfortable saying this, especially since Korra is looking at him and especially he usually saves people's lives and not the other way around. "Um...thanks for saving my life," he blurts out. 'Damn, I should like a total loser. She thinks I'm a loser. Bright side is: I'll get home soon and I'll never see her again.' Korra unnerves Danny. She is intimidating, but friendly and so, so pretty.

"No big deal, Danny. Like I said, helping people, it's my thing, my duty to the world."

Danny wonders why she says that. 'She really thinks very highly of herself, doesn't she? Sam won't like her.' He chuckles imagining Sam and Korra meeting, but he does not care what Korra thinks of herself. She is going to help him get home and right now, that is all that matters. Plus, she saved his life so who cares if she thinks she is queen of the world.

The door to the room opens and a woman walks in, a woman who greatly resembles Korra. 'She must be her mother' Danny thinks.

"Oh, great. Our guest is awake. Korra, why didn't you tell me?" She turns to Danny. "Hello. I'm Senna, Korra's mother. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, a little cold, but fine. Thank you."

"You're cold? You must not be from around here."

"You have no idea!" Both Danny and Korra laugh.

"I'll bring you another blanket." Senna starts to walk away, but turns back around. "Are you hungry? Would you like some stewed sea prunes?" Senna asks Danny.

Korra groans. "Mom, I know it's our tribal food and it's sacred, but don't shove that crap down our guest's throat." She tries to reason with her mother.

Danny interjects. "I've never had stewed sea prunes and it would be very rude of me to turn down your national food since you guys have been so kind to me."

Senna smiles. "Excellent, I'll get you a bowl." Soon, Senna comes back with another fur blanket and a steaming bowl full of grayish liquid filled with things that look like kumquats swimming in it. Danny immediately regrets this order of food. Korra makes a face while Danny dons a brave face, puts a spoon into the soup, and transfers it to his mouth. It tastes like sweaty clothes. He pretends to like it when Senna asks him how it is. When she leaves, Danny visibly gags. Korra laughs. "Told you, you wouldn't like it."

"Yeah, I should've listened to you. It tastes like dirty underwear. I should know. One guy forced me to eat his pair." He sees Korra's disgusted face. "It's a long story. This isn't like a ritual in my world."

"That's good to hear." Korra looks relieved. "If you really don't like it, I'll get you some seal jerky."

"Thanks." He would gladly eat anything other than this kumquat soup.


	6. Onward to the Portal

Korra wanted to stay and keep the conversation going with the strange Danny, but Senna ushered her out. "He needs rest," Senna said. Korra did not want to go. She wanted to learn more about him, but Senna did not permit it. She kept telling Korra, "Later." Even though Korra is the Avatar, she is not going to argue with her mother.

Before Korra left Danny in peace, she gave him the promised seal jerky, which he wolfed down. He admitted that he did not like it much, but it beat the kumquat soup and he was very hungry so he was not going to complain. Korra waterbended the stewed sea prunes out of the window, stole a piece of jerky, and left him to rest.

Korra finds herself in the kitchen with her mother. Senna, who normally keeps to herself and is not that curious, asks Korra questions about Danny. "What is his name? How did he end up here? Why was he wearing such rags? Where is he from?"

"His name is Danny. He doesn't really know how he ended up here and I guess he doesn't have snow or snow appropriate clothing where he's from, which is very far away." Korra does not tell her mother everything about Danny. She wants him to stay a mystery to everyone around her, except herself.

The wormhole story is bizarre Korra admits but she believes it. Stranger things _have_ happened. She was born as the Avatar. Amon somehow was able to take away bending using bloodbending. He took hers, but she managed to unlock her airbending right after. Plus, Unalaq fused with Vaatu. All this was crazy and still is when she thinks about it. Even though her mother knows all about the previous situations, Korra is not sure that she will believe the wormhole story.

"He's very _cute_ ," her mother's voice brings Korra back from her thoughts. "And since you broke up with Mako, you might want to move on."

Korra laughs. "Mom! We don't even know much about him!"

"Mysteries are always fun."

"But mom, Mako and I broke up yesterday. I don't mind being single. Furthermore, just because I'm a girl, doesn't mean I need a guy!"

"I know. I know, but I'm just saying," Senna says exasperatedly.

"Stop trying to play matchmaker."

"I only play matchmaker when he's good-looking."

"Maybe you should go with him."

Senna playfully glares at Korra and they burst out into laughter. Korra adores her mom. She loves that she can come to her for everything, anything. She loves that her mom is her best friend, one that she can always joke with. She will never take her mom for granted.

Korra decides enough time has passed and she goes to check on their guest, to see if he is awake. She tiptoes to the door and opens it slightly. He is up in his feet, blankets wrapped around him and he is doing pushups. She closes the door quietly and knocks so he has time to gather himself. He calls for her to come in and she enters.

Korra asks him if he wants food; Danny politely declines, says he ate too much seal jerky. He asks her if she can take him to the spirit portal. She is a little disappointed; she wants him to stay for a while longer and learn about his world, but she knows that she cannot force him to stay. She knows that he would not want to leave his home (and his possible family) behind. Korra agrees to take him and she brings him snow appropriate clothing. They have a long way to go.

Korra saddles Naga after calming her down. Naga almost squishes Danny due to her excitement in meeting him. Korra sees that Danny is a little apprehensive about Naga, but she assures him that this is the quickest, safest and most fun way to ride to the portal. They begin their journey; it is met with silence. Both of them do not know what to say to each other. Korra wants to keep asking questions about him, but she does not know where to start. It is a relief when Danny starts talking. "So, the waterbending...can everyone do it in your world?"

"No, there are three other elements that people can bend: fire, earth, and air."

"Can people bend other elements or only one?"

"Only one and maybe a subcategory from their particular element."

"A subcategory?"

"Yeah, for example, some waterbenders can heal like me."

"Does everyone bend?"

"No, there are some who can't."

"Do you wish you can bend some other element?"

"I already do."

"But you said only one element per person."

"I'm the Avatar; I can bend all four elements. My duty is to keep balance in the world and help people," Korra explains. It is weird explaining this to someone. Everyone here knows what an Avatar is and who she is, but Korra has to remind herself that Danny is not from this world.

"Wow, so you have to take care of the world? Be the hero?" Korra nods. "I can relate."

Korra hears the sincerity in his voice and accidently, pulls hard on Naga's reigns. Naga rears, throwing both her passengers off the saddle and into the snow.


	7. Weight of the World

Danny hits the snowy ground fast and face first, making all the snow around him whirl. 'Not again. Well, at least I'm wearing warmer clothes.' He wonders why the dog decided to suddenly throw them off. He looks around and he sees Korra standing on her feet with an apologetic look on her face.

"Sorry. I was just surprised when you said what you said. I was not expecting that at all."

"What did I say?" Danny wonders if he has insulted her somehow.

"When you said that you could relate to being a hero. Is that who you are in your own world?" She climbs onto Naga and holds out her hand to him. He takes it and climbs on.

"Somewhat." He does not want to talk about it. Those are his titles now in Amity Park: hero, savior, redeemer, etc. It has gotten pretty old though he knows his fourteen-year-old self would revel in all the glory and money. He is glad he is not fourteen-years-old anymore. He knows what is important and he does not just play the part of the hero anymore; he is the hero.

He also does not want to go ghost in front of her. He does not want Korra to judge him, but his instinct tells him that she will not. She will understand him because she is like him. She knows what it is like to have all of these expectations thrown at her. As much as he thinks he can trust her, he wants to remain cautious, but he does not want to be rude. She may be his only chance to get home and pissing her off is not a good idea if he ever wants to get home.

Danny braces himself for the next questions: "What are your powers?" and "Can you show me?" He is taken aback when she asks if he chose to become a hero.

"How I got my powers was an accident, but how I chose to use them made me a hero. Yeah I guess in a way I chose to be a hero, but I had a secret identity, which became not so secret four years ago."

"I didn't choose my powers either, but I also didn't choose to use my powers for good. It seems that when you're the Avatar, people automatically assume you're going to fight evil. You're trained to be the people's servant, but also their leader."

Danny is a little saddened by her revelation. It is unfortunate that she did not get to choose her path, that she has been groomed for this life. He could have become Dark Danny, but he chose not to. She was forced to be good.

"Fighting evil though," Korra continues. "in the long run, is the best option. Good always prevails, right? It feels great to help people, but when you help people, they have way too many expectations and when things don't turn out the way you hoped they would, the people always blame you."

Danny knows exactly what that feels like. People blamed the Ghost Kid slash Danny Phantom slash Inviso-Bill for most of the ghostly activities in Amity Park. They thought he was bad even though he was the one who was fighting the evil forces.

He never had anyone to talk to about this. Sam, Tucker, Jazz, mom, dad - they did not understand. They helped him out a lot, but they were never thrown into the spotlight. They were never held accountable for a ghost bust gone wrong.

Korra and Danny arrive at the portal. Danny blinks. This is a very weird portal compared to what he is used to. This one emits white light shooting upward from the ground, while the way he usually gets to the Ghost Zone is through a green hole in a wall.

He slides off of Naga and thanks Korra for everything. He is surprised when she gives him a hug. She is very strong and the hug is bone-crushing. 'I guess she doesn't know her own strength,' Danny muses.

He walks through the portal and he is even more baffled. He is standing in a colorful clearing with a weathered old creepy tree in the middle and the oddest ghosts he has ever seen. They look nothing like ghosts in the Ghost Zone. These look more bizarre, but also more elegant and delicate. A few feet away, there is another portal. He decides to walk to it. He sees no other option or way out. He walks through the other portal and a snowy sight greets him. He wonders if he is back in the South Pole, but Korra is not around. 'Duh, she left already, dude.'

He goes back into the portal and into the clearing. He walks up to the tree, where he encounters another surprise. Korra is sitting inside and meditating while spirits float around her. Danny clears his throat and Korra opens one eye. She sees him and asks him why is he still here.

"I tried walking through that portal over there, but I ended up in the same place."

"It wasn't the same place. That portal leads to the North Pole."

Danny panics a little now. "But there are other portals? Portals to other worlds, right?"

Korra eyes him. "No, there are only these two."

Danny's heart jumps into his throat. He is feeling very panicked now. What is he to do? Where is he to go? He has to get home, but how? And why can he not?

"Oh, no, no, no, no. This can't be happening," Danny starts freaking out.

"What can't be happening?"

"I don't know how to get home. I thought I could go home through the portals, but nope, nada, zip, zilch!"

"I'm so sorry. I have no clue what to do either."

Danny plops down by the tree, feeling more dread than ever and the panic is rising with every second.


	8. The Spiritual Leader

Korra sits dumbstruck. She has no idea what to do. She did what she could. She did what he asked. She took him to the portals, but he cannot get home. Now what?

She looks down at Danny, whose panic is showing on his face. She wonders what to do. She cannot imagine how it feels to be ripped from a world that is home and not know how to get back. She sympathizes.

She racks her brain, trying to come up with answers. How does one get into a different world or dimension through the Spirit World? Nothing useful pops into her head. She keeps thinking and thinking. 'Spirits, help me,' she silently prays.

Her eyes snap open. "I know what to do!" she cries out, startling Danny. She jumps out of the tree and lands near Danny. "I have the solution." She smiles wide, trying to get Danny to join in her excitement, but he is not moved. She probably should tell him her idea. That might excite him.

"You said you came through a portal into my world, right?" She looks at him and he nods his head. "Well, these are the portals we have and they are spirit ones so we have a spirit problem on our hands, yeah? Yeah!" She is proud of herself for figuring that out. She is a genius. She deserves a Korra snack. Danny, on the other hand, still looks confused.

Korra realizes she only voiced the full plan in her head and not out loud. "Since it's a spiritual problem, we need to see a spiritual leader and I know just where to go!"

She looks over at Danny, who is standing still. He looks a lot less panicked. Korra guesses that her idea has merit and he is pondering it over. Maybe it is not the best idea, but it the best one she can come up with right now and she feels that this may be the _only_ option. She has never had to handle a problem like this so she does not know what the protocol is. She would gladly help him, but she was never very spiritual. She is not even that spiritual now.

She admits that opening the portals was a fantastic idea. She no longer has to be the bridge between the spirit and material worlds. She has one less job to do. She knows that sounds selfish, but she would rather focus on the problems in this world, rather than the spirit world. She also would not be the best bridge so it is better from everyone this way.

Korra grabs Danny by the hand and drags him out of the Spirit World, through the portal and back to the South Pole. She finds Naga prancing around and whistles for her. Naga obeys and comes to them. Korra realizes that Danny is still in shock and a little rigid, so she tosses him up onto the saddle, where she joins him. She tells to hold on tight because they are going to find Katara and it is going to be a bumpy ride. She tells him not to worry. Everything will be fixed.

But she worries slightly. She wonders if this will actually work. She wonders if it does not, will he blame her? She has tried her hardest, will he appreciate it? There are always critics and she always tries her best, but not everyone is pleased with her efforts or with the consequences that her actions bring. She knows people are going to whine about the opening of the spirit portals. She angrily waves these thoughts away. She has to protect the world. It is stressful being the Avatar, but she is doing a wonderful job because she is trying very hard, giving it her all. She is the Avatar damn it, and people have to deal with it and the decisions she makes.

Naga is running as fast as she can. The wind is biting Korra's nose and cheeks. She seldom looks back to check if Danny is still situated in the saddle, that he has not fallen out.

They ride to Korra's home to put Naga into her stable so she can rest and eat. She has done a great job today and she deserves some down time.

Senna sees the two back at home and she wonders why their guest has not left yet. Korra provides a hurried explanation about Danny's ship not sailing and races off with him to Katara's home.

When they arrive at Katara's igloo, they take some time to catch their breath. They have been running very fast, stopping only at Katara's door. Korra leans on the door and knocks halfheartedly, trying to focus on her breathing. The door opens and Korra, not having moved, falls in face forward onto Katara's polar bear dog carpet.

Katara bends down to check on Korra and then she notices that they are not alone. They have a guest. Katara greets him and welcomes him into her home, which smells like stewed sea prunes. The home is adorned with furs and there are many photos. Some contain only her and Aang. Some include her father, her brother, her children, her grandchildren, her friends and one holds her mother.

Korra is relieved to see the whole airbending family there, which is good because she in search of one particular spiritual airbender. It is a miracle that the family has not gone out. Good, this means that she does not have to search for them.

She introduces Danny to everyone in the home. They greet him warmly and invite him to sit with them and eat. Korra leads Danny to the table. He sits between Katara and Jinora.

Korra teases him. "Danny, you're so lucky. Many would pay very good money to be sitting next to a sprititual leader and a waterbending master."

Danny turns to Katara, "Wow, that's amazing! How did you accomplish all of this? It must have taken _years_ and the whole spirit stuff...wow."

Korra laughs. Katara smiles. "Becoming a waterbending master took quite a while, but practice is everything and it was all worth it, but I am no spiritual leader."

Danny looks confused. He faces Korra, who points to Jinora, indicating she is the spiritual leader.


	9. Vacation

Danny's mouth is agape. He blushes, sputters and ushers apologies. He is awed. How can an eleven year old girl be a spiritual leader? 'Is every young person so advanced in this world?' he wonders. He turns his attention to the food and eats as much as he can - staying away from the sea prunes - to avoid saying something else embarrassing.

After lunch, he is led into a room with cozy seats so he can speak with Jinora. He catches Korra's attention and expresses his amazement out loud.

"Jinora has the best connection with the spirits. She talks with them and she has visited the Spirit World many times through meditation. She is the best."

This world continues to surprise him. These people can get into the Spirit World through meditating, while Danny has to race around trying to find portals to the Ghost Zone.

Jinora, Korra, and Danny each take a seat. "How can I help?" Jinora asks Danny.

Danny explains his story. He skips over the part that he is half ghost and what he was doing in the Ghost Zone. He says it was an accident that he came to be here and there. He sounds like a klutz, but whatever. He wonders if this is a weak story, but no one questions him for more details.

He finishes his tale and Jinora takes a moment to mull it over. Danny looks at Korra, who shrugs. Korra also has no idea what to expect and neither does Danny, but while it does not affect her, it scares the hell out of him.

He tries to think positive: everything will work out, everything will work out, everything will work out. If he ends up being stuck here, it would not be so bad, right? He can live here - well not here. He will move somewhere else, the other places Korra has mentioned. He will no longer have to be the hero. This thought calms him down. No more press conferences. No more town meetings. No more ghost hunting. No more ghosts. No more Amity Park. No more Tucker and Sam.

No more Tucker and Sam. That thought darkens his mood. They have been best friends forever. They have been through so much: the good, the bad, the ugly, the nasty. They have always been there for him. He cannot leave them, but it is not his fault he is here. He does not know how to get back home. He will try everything, anything though.

But if he cannot go back, he can make more friends, right? He already has Korra, who understands him more than anyone in either world. 'It will be nice to get away from Sam' he admits to himself. He is a little tired of the drama with her. She can get a little possessive and she tends to overreact. But in the long run, she is still and will always be his best friend no matter what. They are on a break again and maybe this should be their final breakup. They are better off being friends. They are, they really are. 'That is the first thing I need to take care of when - or if- I get back' Danny makes a mental note.

Jinora clears her throat, disrupting Danny's train of thought. He apologizes.

"I think I may have the answer," she starts, glancing at Danny for a sign that he is listening. He nods. She takes a deep breath. "The Spirit World runs on emotions -"

"That's what Iroh told me when I visited him there!" Korra interrupts.

Jinora shoots Korra a sharp look that says it all. Korra apologizes.

"The Spirit World runs on emotions," Jinora continues. "and these emotions may change the Spirit World and they can lead us unto unknown paths. When you were in the Spirit World, were you thinking about or feeling something very strongly?"

Danny tries to remember why he was in the Ghost Zone. He was floating around to get away from his hectic hero life and Sam. Then the answer dawns on him.

"I was wishing to get away from my life. I was wishing for a vacation."

Jinora smiles, pleased with herself. She also looks relieved that he is not angry.

So the Ghost Zone sent him on a vacation? That is a very weird explanation. Does it do that often? Send ghosts on vacations?

A vacation! A vacation? A vacation... He smiles to himself. A vacation. Yeah, he can do that. No big deal. He can take some time off. He can relax. That is what he wished for.

He looks at Korra and smiles, "Well, I guess I'm stuck here for a while."


	10. Danny's Life

When Korra learned that Danny was staying, she was ecstatic. She has much planned for them. She knows they are going to be awesome friends; she thinks he is something special. They have much in common; they understand each other when no one else does. She is going to enjoy every moment with him. She does not know how much she has, a couple of minutes, a few hours, forever. She is going to live in these moments.

In four days, she is going to Republic City. Jinora and Korra told Tenzin the situation concerning Danny and Tenzin, being the good guy he is, allowed Danny to accompany them and live on Air Temple Island for the time being. Danny might as well enjoy his well-deserved vacation and where else is it better to relax than on Air Temple Island, the most peaceful place in Republic City?

She decides to tell her mother the truth, but Senna thinks she is joking. Since they are all going back there, Senna assumes Danny is from Republic City and the two fast friends are just pulling her leg.

Korra and Danny do spend a lot of time together. They go to the training grounds to let off some steam and work out. They go penguin sledding. They take rides on Naga through the tundra. Mostly, they talk, vent about their problems and their hero lives.

Korra has been spending so much time with Danny that she has been somewhat neglecting her friends. She regrets it, but then again, she knows they are not going anywhere anytime soon. There is no expiration dates on their visits unlike Danny's. She does not feel as bad when it comes to Mako. They just broke up; it is going to awkward for some time. It is also funny to see Mako become jealous upon seeing her and Danny together. She laughs at the face that Mako makes when he sees them together.

Danny is extremely interesting. He is the hero of Amity Park, a city in a country called the United States of America. She learns about American life, about fast food joints, technology, etc. The whole world is not his responsibility, but he does have a lot on his plate. Korra thinks that if he had to protect the whole world, he would be much more stressed out and haggard. His world sounds enormous compared to hers.

Danny is fun to have around; he has an abundance of amusing stories. She learns a lot about his life, his family, and his friends. She learns of his identity as Danny Phantom.

Korra thought he was joking when he told her that he is half ghost. She could not and still cannot wrap her head around that concept. She does not understand how that is possible to have gained power such as he has. She cannot believe it, but when he yells "going ghost," he transforms right in front of her eyes. His black hair becomes snow white and his blue eyes turn green, greener than Bolin's.

As a ghost, he boasts numerous and incredible powers. He is able to fly, shoot bolts from his fingers, become invisible, become intangible, etc. He once took her flying and it was a terrifying experience; she realized she prefers flying bison. Using his invisibility, they prank Mako, who still has not figured out who keeps stealing cups straight from his hands or who has been randomly lifting the chairs he is sitting on.

She keeps his identity a secret; he does not want anyone else to know. He does not think anyone else will appreciate it; they might take advantage of his powers.

She learns that his two best friends are complete opposites: Sam, an ultro-recyclo-vegetarian Goth and Tucker, a meat loving techno geek. She sympathizes with his tumultuous relationship with Sam. She notes that they have a pattern. They get together and are driven apart because of his fame. They decide to stay friends, which is a smoother ride for them. Because the friendship goes well, they give the romance another shot, but it falls apart and the cycle begins anew.

She is secretly thankful that she does not have a sister like Jazz, who sounds cool, but is someone one best experienced in small doses. Korra laughs when he tells about his ghost hunting parents, who spent a long time trying to hunt him down. She loves the fact that his mother is more competent than his father. 'Girls rule,' she thinks.

What she enjoys the most is when he speaks about all the ghosts that he has overpowered. She cannot imagine having his life; she would rather stick to protecting the world and dealing with the pig Raiko than having to chase ghosts who always manage to escape the Ghost Zone time and time again.

She learns about Skulker, Ember McClain, Young Blood, Desiree, Technus. She begins to hate Walker, who reminds her of Tarrlok. She is amused by the Box Ghost. Shouting 'Beware!' whenever they see other has become a ritual, an inside joke that never fails to crack them up, but which befuddles all of those around them.


	11. Korra's Life

Danny is thankful that he has met Korra. She is a pal, who loves to laugh and does not become frustrated with his ghost half easily. She also has cool friends. Mako tries to intimidate Danny, but it does not work. Danny knows Mako is just going through Post Breakup Stress Disorder, which makes everything piss him off. Bolin is a fun guy to be with; he is always cracking jokes and does not take many things seriously. Danny admits that he has a small crush on Asami, who is a very kind and hardworking woman.

Danny notices that the younger airbender girl has a crush on him. She is always following him around and asking him way too many questions. It seems that her goal in life is to literally talk his ear off. Whatever her faults are, Ikki is a bundle of joy; she never fails to bring a smile to his face.

Danny spends a lot of time with Korra. She lives in a world that he knows nothing about, but wants to know everything he can. He learns about the four nations, the Air Nomad genocide, the Hundred Year War, which gave him the heebie-jeebies. He is amazed with the people's strength in this world. The war ended thanks to the twelve-year-old Avatar Aang, Korra's predecessor.

Danny discovers a lot about Korra, her friends, her family, her life, her duties. Now that he has learned about her title, he does not think she is stuck up. On the contrary, he thinks she is one of the bravest he has ever had the pleasure of meeting. One thing is for sure: he does not envy her life one bit. It seems like she is always the target of some plot and she is always expected to have an answer to every single problem that plagues the world.

While he was trudging through school, she was in constant training since she was four-years-old. She worked very hard to become a pro at her bending. She practices a lot every day. Danny admires her resolution. Korra is steadfast and stands up for what she believes in.

He learns about Mako and Bolin's past. He learns about Asami's past, which made him admire her more. He learns all about these people's heroic actions. It seems that this world just boasts heroes and Korra is the hero of heroes.

She had quite an adventurous life. She joined a probending team and helped them pave the way to the championship, which they lost. She promises to take him to a match when they return to Republic City.

She was manipulated into joining a taskforce by a councilman. She put an end to a revolution, by taking down the revolution's leader, who was exposed as a fraud, who happened to be the manipulative councilman's brother, and who happened to be the son of Republic City's most dangerous criminals.

He learns about the horrors that occurred right here at her home. Dark spirits attacked the village and sailors in the sea. Her uncle, the chief of the Northern Tribe, came to the South and tried to get the South to become more spiritual. He told her that for the South to accomplish spirituality, she must open the Southern spirit portal. Little did she know, it was all a plot to take over the South, which resulted in a Civil War. Her father was sentenced to imprisonment for life. Her father was also cheated out of his throne. Her uncle's plan did not stop there. He wanted to fuse with the Spirit of Chaos and dominate the world.

She talks about her romance with Mako, how he was a jerk when they first met and when she realized her feelings for him, he was dating Asami. While he was dating Asami, Korra kissed him, which broke Bolin's heart because Bolin was infatuated her. The end of Equalist Revolution brought Mako and Korra together and they have been dating for some time, but the relationship was always a bit strained.

Danny marvels at how these four kids managed to stay friends after all the drama. 'Maybe the people in this world have a strength unknown in mine,' he wonders. Where he comes from, people would have gotten into violent altercations over romantic partners; this would not have been handled in a civilized manner.

Danny sees the parallels between Mako and Korra's relationship with his and Sam's. Although, they did not break up often unlike he and Sam, Mako and Korra were better off as friends.

His mind wanders to the happenings in Amity Park and whether or not people have noticed that he is gone. He wonders if he could live ten years here while back home, no time has passed at all.

He cannot consult his watch because it got wet - thanks to the snow - and it does not work anymore, but time is not his concern. He is on a wonderful vacation and soon he is leaving the icy tundra and going to visit Republic City.


	12. Sunset

They have finally arrived in Republic City. Korra has been waiting for this moment forever. She cannot wait to go to Air Temple Island and relax. She wants to see some probending matches, which she promised she would do with Danny.

They arrive late at night and go to their respective rooms. There is no extra room for Danny, so Korra volunteers to bunk with Asami. Because they are sharing a room, Korra and Asami have become very close, almost like sisters. They talk about everything and laugh and reminisce about Mako, who becomes very rigid when he sees them together.

"I wonder who Mako will date now and will she be as pretty and kickass as us?" Asami teases the firebender.

"Well, whoever that'll be, she'll become our new BFF!" Korra chimes in.

They laugh at how the firebender's facial features tighten everytime they joke around. He does not find this funny one bit. After two days on the Island, Mako makes a very formal announcement.

"Greetings, um, I am going to find new sleeping arrangements so that I could be closer to the police station. There is way too much work to be done and I have been gone for too long. It is my duty as a police officer to supervise and protect the city so...thank you for the hospitality, Pema, Tenzin, uh, children. I have to go now. Farewell."

He looks and sounds so uncomfortable. Everyone notices this, but they shrug it off. Mako has always been kind of awkward and now, it has become even more obvious.

Korra does not really pay attention to super awkward Mako. She has other things to worry about. She thought that being back on Air Temple Island would be a breeze, but boy, was she wrong.

She has been busy since the moment they arrived; she has hardly had the time to breathe. She is needed everywhere because problems are rampant. Her poll ratings are dropping; this is making her feel a bit self-conscious and angry. She has saved the world from being dominated by chaos; people should be thankful.

But they are not. They complain about everything: the spirits, the spirit vines, the destruction of Republic City, even the way she dresses. She tries to help them. She tries to do everything she can think of, but things just become worse.

The worst component of this damn situation is dealing with Raiko, who is angry about the spirits and about his plummeting poll numbers even though he does not admit it. He blames everything on Korra and expects her to fix everything. He has not even thanked her for saving Republic City or apologized for being such an ass. Korra thinks that he looks more punchable than ever.

Korra vents her problems to both Asami and Danny; they console her. Danny tells her that people will always criticize her, but screw them, right? She laughs; she feels slightly better. Asami decides to help Korra take her mind off of the whole spirit business and volunteers to teach her how to drive, taking Danny along. .

Korra feels uninhibited when she drives the Satomobile. She is a terrible driver though, a sentiment expressed all over Asami's and Danny's faces. Asami's knuckles are stark white from clutching whatever she can in the car. Danny's face is whiter than his ghost hair. They come to a stop.

"Korra, you're cool and stuff, but seriously, you're the worst driver ever. And that's saying something. I grew up with my dad, who thinks taking a shortcut means crashing through a building, " Danny says.

Asami agrees with Danny, except for the dad part because her dad was an awesome driver, but not the best guy. Korra sticks out her tongue at both of them.

"Hey, I'm trying. Driving a car is hard. It's not like driving a polar bear dog."

Despite almost killing herself and her passengers a couple of times, Korra's mind feels lighter and clearer when she sits behind the wheel. She considers it a thrill and that is until she almost crashes into a spirit vine growing in the middle of the road. She is told off by an angry spirit, who unknowingly gives her an idea of how to try to get rid of the spirit vines and that is to use spiritbending, a surprisingly useful technique taught to her by the devious Unalaq.

They trio finds a building crawling with spirit vines and Korra attempts to spiritbend them away, only to be interrupted by President Pig. She hopes that this will work; she does not want to hear any more complaining and whining from anyone. She is sick and tired of it. Sometimes she wants to throw her hands up in the air and tell them to fix everything themselves. Once in a while, she is very close to doing exactly that.

She spiritbends and the vines subside; she congratulates herself and hears a "WHOOP" from the Danny. Her plan has worked or so it seems. She hears a low but distinct rumble and soon, more spirit vines shoot up from the ground, covering the same building and the next. The other building starts crumbling down and she, the metalbending police force, and Asami usher all of the residents outside. Meanwhile, Danny secretly goes ghost so he can enter the building to search for more occupants without being detected or crushed by the crumbling edifice.

When everyone is safely outside, Korra quickly leaves with her buddies before President Pig has the chance to violate her personal space, calling her a failure and whatever other colorful words he can muster. She thinks Air Temple Island, the epitome of tranquility, will offer her some peace, but she is wrong.

The trio arrives in time for dinner at the Island, where there appears to be a huge fuss. Bumi is trying to convince the whole table that he can airbend. Everyone is becoming a little miffed. The joke was cute at first, but now, it is plain annoying. Meelo decides to throw a plate at Bumi, who catches it using airbending. That assures everyone that for once, Bumi was not messing around and that he can really airbend.

Reports of new airbenders popping up throughout Republic City have been coming in as quickly as the wind. Tenzin is delighted. His father's dream of the development and expansion of the Air Nation is coming true faster than they both - or anyone - could have imagined.

Korra is ecstatic: more airbenders. The world will finally be more balanced than it has been for these one hundred and seventy-one years. She is also feeling a bit downcast. More airbenders equal more problems. She knows people will not take kindly to more changes, especially the ones who are experiencing this amendment to their abilities.

She leaves the temple to go for a solitary walk. She goes to the beach, takes off her boots and wades in the water. She hugs herself and feels tears forming in her eyes. She does not see crying as a sign of weakness anymore, but rather a wet method of accepting and dealing with problems. It is cathartic. She always feels tired and hungry after a good weeping session. She feels a tear slide and wonders if that is it. It seems so. She is not going to force herself to cry. She leaves the water and dries off.

She walks a little longer and finds a rock. She sets herself down on it, wondering if she could meditate. She gets into position and tries to clear her mind, but that is impossible. It is as hectic inside her head as it is outside it. She hugs her knees and tries to think of other approaches she could use in solving these growing and spreading dilemmas.

Korra hears something or someone approaching her. She looks up and sees Danny, who smiles at her. She manages a weak smile in return. He sits down next to her and wraps his arm around her shoulders, comforting her in silence. She understands that he just gets it; she does not have to explain everything to him. She smiles wide this time and together they watch the sunset.


	13. Road Trip

Danny is enjoying his vacation in Republic City. He has never been to a more peaceful place than Air Temple Island. He walks around the island and when no one is looking, he goes ghost and flies around.

He has already seen most of Republic City. He does not think that there is a city in America or anywhere that can ever compare. He likes flying to the tallest building and sitting on its roof, gazing at the citizens shuffling down below on the streets. He watches the spirits float around in the sky.

When he is spotted by the residents of the city, they do not give him another thought. To them, he is just another annoying spirit trying to invade their city and make it his home. Danny has no troubles to deal with, no ghosts to hunt, no one to answer to. He has never felt so relaxed, but he also feels very lonely.

He misses Amity Park. He misses Tucker. He misses Sam. He misses his family, but he definitely does not miss his ghost duties. Korra is very busy, dealing with problem after problem. He tries to help when he can. He accompanies her to the press conferences - he knows how hectic and intrusive those can be - so she can have a friendly face among the sea of angry citizens, who are always demanding solutions or who are badgering her with impossible questions.

Sometimes he wishes he could do more, but what? One thing is for sure: he will always be there when she needs someone to talk to or a should to cry on. Hero work can be very overwhelming and stressful. Danny knows this to be the absolute truth.

He tries to make peace with Mako, but that kid has been avoiding everyone. Danny is not going to hunt him down though. He is not desperate and he can make new friends no biggie.

He has been hanging out a lot with Bolin. Danny taught him how to play basketball. He had Bolin form the hoops and backboard with earthbending. They found a ball, not the best one for basketball, but it was the best for the time being. They play daily. Bolin creamed Danny during their last game. Danny is not the best at basketball and extremely out of practice. He is also not the best teacher, but Bolin picked up the game no problem. He makes free throws look as easy as blinking.

Danny wonders if the lack of meat is throwing him off his game. On Air Temple Island, he is not getting as enough protein as he does at home or did at the South Pole. He never really feels satisfied after dinner. One evening, he accidently lets the truth slip out when he is talking to Korra.

"Come with me," Korra commands. She drags him into her room and throws him at him, which hits his face.

"Oh my spirits, I'm so sorry," she apologizes. "I spend way too much time with Naga that sometimes I forget I'm human and I forget my own strength."

Danny laughs. He opens the sack and sees that it is filled with seal jerky. "Can I have it all?" he asks hungrily. He misses meat so much that he forgets that he does not really enjoy seal jerky.

"Help yourself. I can always get my mom to send me more. The South Pole never runs out of seal jerky or seals."

Danny greedily sticks his hand into the sack, pulls out a piece and devours it. He stuffs his face and realizes that he probably looks like a pig. He slows down his pace and offers the bag to Korra, who seizes a handful of jerky. Together, they demolish the food.

This has become a ritual for them. When they have had enough of the vegetables and rice, they go to Korra's room and eat the glorious sticks of meat. Bolin and Asami have also joined in on their secret party.

Danny has begun to appreciate meat since arriving on Air Temple Island. Now, he understands why Tuck would sell his own mother for the best T-Bone steak. Since their secret meat parties, Danny has attained an affinity for the jerky. It is as good as beef jerky - maybe better, but it is definitely more rough, fatty and chewy. One has to have strong teeth to eat this stuff.

Korra's schedule has become even more hectic since new airbenders have been popping up. She would only be visible during mealtimes and the secret parties and then, not always. Danny began to accompany her when she gets called in to track down these new benders so that they could hang out and so that she can finish the jobs much more quickly. Kill two birds with one stone, right?

Everyone is so surprised that there are new airbenders. He wonders why they all have these reactions. He has a theory that bending can be a dormant ability and this sudden emergence of airbenders just proves his theory. He is surprised though that there are so many of them.

One day, Korra, Tenzin, Danny and the police department are called to Kyoshi Bridge, where an airbender threatens to jump. For a second, Danny forgets that no one knows about his ghostly identity here and almost goes into ghost mode to try to save the frightened man, but Korra is way ahead of him. She flies to the top of the bridge on her glider, which she received from the Air Acolytes, who live on Air Temple Island with them, who preserve the Air Nomad's culture and who Danny finds very intriguing. These Air Acolytes are trying to maintain a culture that has not existed in this world for more than a century, a culture with which many of the Acolytes do not have any affiliations.

On the bridge, Korra sits and talks with the bender, calming him down. She offers him her hand and he tries to take it, but he slips and falls off the bridge. Danny's eyes widen and while he goes ghost in the background, Korra wastes no time, springs into action, and saves his life while the sea of people below lets out a unanimous thunderous gasp. The Police Force and the crowd are relieved that the man has not become bridge kill and applaud Korra's valiant action. While the people are distracted by Korra's heroics, Danny quickly changes back to his human form before anyone can spot him.

Just then, the President, who Korra constantly bashes, arrives. Danny has seen him before and he has made up his mind about this politician a long time ago. One look at him gives Danny the heebie-jeebies. He knows that this is a cranky man who cares more about his public image and reputation than the citizens of the city he has taken an oath to serve and protect. This man is dangerous. This man reminds him of Vlad, except that this guy is neither ghostly nor evil, just bad news and annoying.

The Presidents storms up to Korra and starts yelling, which has become a hobby for him. He demands that she leaves the city; she is banished. Korra is furious; she wants to punch him, but holds back.

She storms off to the side, where Tenzin and Danny are standing.

"What was that about?" Danny asks.

"President Pig has just kicked me out of Republic City! Can you believe that? What a loser! He'll be regretting this decision sooner than later." She turns around and quickly flips off the President while his back is turned.

"What are you going to do now? Go back to the South Pole?" Danny asks.

"No, I'm going to go on a trip to the Earth Kingdom and find the new airbenders," she replies.

"Oh no, you're not," Tenzin says.

"But, Tenzin, I can't stay here."

"You didn't let me finish, Korra. You're always so impatient. You're not going without me."

"Or without me!" Danny chimes in.

Korra is so excited. She hugs both of them at the same time, accidently bumping Tenzin's and Danny's heads together. She lets them go. Danny rubs his head.

"ROAD TRIP!" he shouts, fist bumping the Avatar.


	14. Rough Start

Korra is on the airship that has just taken off from Air Temple Island and started its voyage to the Earth Kingdom to where there have been sightings of additional airbenders. The voyagers have exchanged their good-byes with Pema, Kya, Meelo, Rohan, and Ikki, who are staying behind so they can welcome more new airbenders to the island. Korra knows she is going to miss the airbender kids, but she knows she cannot stay. She has to leave Republic City because President Pig commanded it.

Korra is angry. She cannot believe he did that. Raiko cannot just ban her; she is the Avatar. She technically owns Republic City. She smirks. She knows Raiko will regret sending her away. He will be sorry.

She is excited to head off to the Earth Kingdom. It is going to be an adventure; she has never been there, but has always wanted to go. She is going to regard this mission as a working vacation. She is going to catch up on lost time with her friends, who have enlisted in this operation. Asami, Danny, and Bolin were very excited to join her, Bumi, Jinora, and Tenzin. Asami was the one who donated the airship. Mako though caused a tiny commotion. He has been acting so awkward towards her and Asami. They have no hard feelings though, but he seems to think otherwise. It was after Bolin used his special Bolin magic that Mako decided to come along. Team Avatar is back, ready for action, and with more members.

Korra takes some time to clear her head and set herself on vacation mode. She does not want the memories of the happenings in Republic City to haunt her; she does not want to stress about them. She will stress later when she is invited back to the city. Korra knows sooner or later Raiko will crack and repeal his decree. He will be begging for her to come back and she will take advantage of that situation.

She walks around the airship and meets up with Danny, who looks like he is plotting something with Bolin. It turns out that they are going to play basketball. They would invite her to join them, but they need even teams.

She tells them to hold on while she gets Asami, who agrees to play after making sure the ship would be in good hands. She gives Jinora a very thorough crash course on how to steer the ship and the two girls return to the deck to play with the boys.

The teams have been divided: Asami and Bolin versus Danny and Korra. Team Bosami is currently in the lead all thanks to Bolin, who is a basketball god.

Tenzin finds them frolicking and tells them to get ready to leave the ship. They have arrived at their first destination: a small Earth Kingdom village. Tenzin is surprised to find Asami up here playing a game and not in the control room. He becomes even more distressed when he learns that Jinora has been steering the ship. He scolds Asami, calling her irresponsible for letting a child be in charge of this hulking ship and all of their lives. Korra steps in. She tells Tenzin to back off and that he should be ashamed of himself because he is always underestimating his eldest daughter, who is smarter and tougher than she looks and who can pick up any skill lightning quick and excel in it.

The visit to the Earth Kindgom village disheartened them a little. The airbending farmer refused to join them. They were anticipating that he would be excited to come with them and polish his new bending skills. They still have hope though. They trust that there will be a long road ahead and that this was just one tiny unexpected bump.

They visit many more villages. Tenzin handles the recruiting and his attempts fail. Bumi is not surprised; he knew that this would happen because Tenzin is not a people person. Korra decides to take matters into her own hands and chooses to recruit the next one, but it does not work.

She tries talking to the airbender, but he does not listen to her. He does not even care that he is an airbender. He frustrates Korra. She tries dragging the guy onto the airship, but he airbends her out of his house. Korra is discouraged and annoyed with the situation.

She is especially annoyed that Danny is laughing at her attempt to drag the chap onto the ship. His laugh is infectious though and she also bursts into laughter. They settle down and begin to strategize with the rest of the group. Danny wonders if there is a way to scare the new airbenders into joining them, but Tenzin and Bolin rebuff this idea. Tenzin says that he does not want the Air Nation to be known for instigating heart attacks and Bolin does not like anything scary. After a bouncing around a few more ideas, Bolin comes up with one: make a spectacle out of it.

Most of the group, excluding Bumi and Bolin, find this to be a silly scheme, but they decide that it merits at least an effort. Who knows maybe it will work? They put on the show, gathering many "oohs" and "aahs" from the crowd. Korra even pranks Mako by tossing him around a tad roughly in a tiny tornado, which he was not expecting. She, Asami, and Danny try really hard to contain their laughter.

The show ends and invite the airbenders to enlist, but none want to join them save this one kid named Kai, who is on the run from the Earth Kingdom authorities. They apprehend him because he is thief, but Korra decides to take responsibility for Kai, who is the only one (except Bumi) so far who has willingly joined their mission. They give the authorities the gold Kai has stolen and leave with him.

They feel pumped; they have a new recruit, who is a delinquent, but still, that is something. Korra hopes that their guidance and training will influence Kai to abandon his criminal ways. They start the ship and take off. Next stop: Ba Sing Se.


	15. Adventures in Ba Sing Se

A few days pass and they reach the city. It is unlike anything Danny has ever seen. He wonders which one is greater: Ba Sing Se or New York City.

Ba Sing Se is composed of three rings: upper, middle, and lower, which are all separated from each other by thick marble walls. The lower ring is dilapidated and decrepit. It is polluted and the inhabitants are squished together like sardines in a can. Danny wonders how anyone can live here. He certainly would not. The middle ring is full of gold and green tiled houses; this ring looks hundreds of times better than the lower one. The upper ring is one to behold. The middle one does not compare, not even in the slightest. The upper ring is the middle ring a thousand fold. They will stay here in a grandiose mansion. Danny is impressed with what Korra can receive because she is the Avatar. He is also impressed that she does not take advantage of these perks.

Danny takes his bags off the ship and into the house. He has on his jeans and T-shirt, but he will change into the Air Acolyte clothing Pema has lent him. His jeans and T-shirt will draw unwanted attention; he only wears this Earth ensemble around the people who know his story sans the going ghost - he skipped over that - and those are the people aboard the ship.

Korra goes to meet with the queen, who is supposedly a very difficult person, while Danny helps the rest unpack the ship. Korra returns and states that the queen demands her to retrieve a tax shipment from a royal vault.

Jinora notices that Kai is missing. Bolin and Mako volunteer to search for him. Danny does not want to spend his time chasing a kid so he decides to accompany Asami and Korra to retrieve the tax money.

They board the airship and Korra spends some time berating the queen, who she claims is worse than President Pig. They arrive at the place where the shipment supposedly is and the royal guards bring out the money.

Danny hears motors roaring and looks behind him. He sees a motorcycle gang. It can never mean anything good no matter what world one is in. The guards flee leaving Danny, Korra, and Asami to fend for themselves. Danny rolls his eyes. 'Wimps.'

The trio is surrounded by the hoodlums. One spears a bag of gold. Asami uses her martial art skills and electrocution glove to fight while Korra relies on her bending. Danny knows that they can handle the thugs without his assistance, but he is not going stand there and watch the fight. He is going to help. After all, that is what heroes do.

Danny knows that he is no good at fighting in his human form so he transforms into his ghostly form behind Asami so she does not see him and become startled, losing concentration in the fight. One of the thugs does see him change and loses control of his cycle, driving into a building. Danny becomes invisible and takes out a bunch of goons. Korra and Asami each take out a number of ruffians, who realize that this is lost fight for them and flee.

Danny lands in front of the girls, congratulating them on their success. He realizes a little too late that he is still in ghost form. Asami's eyes widen and she gasps.

"Asami, don't freak out. It's me." He changes back to his human form.

Asami does not scream. She does not faint. She is taking this better than he expected and Danny is relieved.

"I don't freak out. That's not my style," Asami says casually, flipping her hair. "Besides, this isn't totally surprising. In some weird way, which I can't explain, this makes sense and fills the gaps in your story."

"What? My story didn't have gaps in it."

"Not gaps, more like canyons."

They travel back to Ba Sing Se to deliver the tax shipment to the queen, who tells them that there are no airbenders in the city. She claims that she sent people out to check on the reports, but nothing turned up.

Before Danny could stop her, Korra explodes. "You force me to go gather your stupid tax money that I'm sure doesn't even belong to you! We had to fight barbarians alone because your guards are total wimps! I helped you and now, you won't help me! There are airbenders in the city, you lying witch!"

"LEAVE MY PALACE AT ONCE, YOU BUMPKIN!" The queen hollers.

Korra storms out of the palace with Danny and Asami trailing after her. Danny suggests that they order a lavish lunch so they could eat away their troubles. Asami and Korra love the idea. They can order anything they want; the queen is paying for it anyway. Danny secretly declares that Earth Kingdom food is ten times better than Water Tribe grub.

They go outside to do some exercises. Korra punches out her frustrations, while Danny practices his ghost maneuvers, something that he has not done for a while. Asami coughs, which prompts him to change back. He turns and sees Bolin and Mako running up to them. He thanks Asami for the warning. Danny wonders where the guys have disappeared off to earlier and why Kai is not with them.

Bolin rambles incomprehensibly. Mako takes over and indulges them in the story of their departure. He says they were chasing Kai and got stuck on a train heading to the lower ring. Kai stole their money; they had no way to get back to the upper ring so they slept in the streets. Then they made up with their long lost family. They asked them about airbenders and one of their cousins informed them that airbenders had been appearing in the city, but as quickly as they appeared, they disappeared. The rumor is that the queen is adding an airbending component to her army.

Korra starts ranting about the queen, but stops when Asami nudges her and points to the queen coming over to them. She brings news that there are some airbenders in some province. Danny knows the queen just wants them to leave. Korra thanks her with tremendously forced politeness, but tells the queen that they need to stay.

"Your Majesty, our airship was a little roughed up when we faced the barbarians. I need at least another day to fix it," Asami lies.

"Fine. But only one day and then GET OUT!" The queen commands.

Asami has bought them some time. Danny admires Asami's ability to think quickly on her feet. The fact she is an engineer makes her more attractive.

After the queen leaves, the gang relates this new information to Tenzin. They wonder where the airbenders could be hidden. They ask Jinora to project her spirit under some lake - Danny did not catch the name - but it turns out, that secret hideout is completely flooded. She tries locating Kai and finds him with many other airbenders in an underground compound under the queen's temple.

Having enough information, the gang strategizes on how they are going to liberate the airbenders. Danny suggests that they storm the temple. The stealth mission must be done tonight and it must be executed perfectly and quietly. They cannot alert the Royal Guards. They go over the plan again when they hear a knock on the door.


	16. Trip's Over

Korra thinks that the queen has come back to annoy them some more. She curses out loud. The door opens and their visitor is revealed to be none other than Chief Lin Beifong.

Korra immediately senses that something is wrong. Lin is not the one to take vacations. She also would not have traveled all the way from Republic City to Ba Sing Se just to say "Hey, guys. I missed you." That was as un-Lin as one could get.

Korra is right. The news the chief brings is urgent and disturbing. After thirteen years of rotting in jail, Zaheer and three of his companions have escaped their maximum high security prisons. They were incarcerated for trying to kidnap Korra when she was four years old for unknown reasons. This explains why her father did not allow her to travel the world so she could master the elements like all of the previous Avatars did.

"Korra, I have to take you back to Republic City, where you'll be safe and where I'll be to keep you safe," Lin urges Korra.

"But Chief Beifong, Raiko banished me from the city, remember?"

"Raiko be damned. Right now, you're my priority."

Korra does not want to go back to Republic City. She wants to continue her adventures, but she knows that she cannot win against Lin.

"Ugh, fine, I'll come back to Republic City." Korra makes a face. "But we have to rescue the airbenders first. I'm not going anywhere until they're free."

Sitting back while people are deprived of their freedoms is a very un-Korra thing to do. Lin knows Korra is stubborn and will not back down until she has rescued the prisoners.

"Okay, kid, we save the prisoners, but then we leave, deal?"

"Deal." The two women shake on it.

Night looms and they begin their undertaking (nicknamed Operation Break Wind, added to diffuse the tension courtesy of Danny). The plan is simple: Mako, Bolin and Jinora get Kai. Tenzin, Bumi, Danny and Korra liberate the others, while Asami and Lin man the airship, as their way for escape.

They go beneath the temple and separate. Korra goes ahead and looks for doors that may be the entry way to a room filled with many captives. She finally finds it: a hulking, ominous, gloomy door. She opens it and light fills the dark and dank room. The prisoners waken and wonder what is going on. She tells them that she is here to break them out of their confines and ushers them out while Bumi calls Lin to bring in the ship.

Korra is joyful that the plan has worked. It was simple, easy, in and out. She is proud of their success. She smiles to herself, but the smile quickly slides off her face. Her face is ravaged with hate and fear at the sight that meets her eyes.

They are surrounded by the Dai Li and the queen, who is adamant against her airbenders leaving.

"If you do not what I want, I will declare war," the queen says haughtily.

Korra raises her eyebrows. She is not swayed. She knows this is a bluff. Other nations would rally in their support of the Avatar and against the queen's treatment of her citizens.

The Dai Li agents start attacking. Korra and her gang are outnumbered, but she knows that the Dai Li is outmatched. The airbenders, who are sick of their unfair treatment, unite and blast the Dai Li agents away. Some of the agents collide with the walls, making sickening CRUNCH sounds.

Korra keeps on fighting the remaining Dai Li agents. She clears a path for the airbenders to get on board. Danny rushes off to find Bolin, Mako, Jinora and Kai. Korra beats the last standing Dai Li agent and propels herself into the ship.

They are joined by the stragglers and fly off far away to a mountain top where Tenzin and Korra gather the airbenders. They tell them that they are free to choose whatever path they want to. They will not be forced into anything. After all, this is not the Earth Kingdom. The airbenders can either go back home or join Tenzin and help him rebuild the Air Nation.

To both Korra and Tenzin's delight, the benders unanimously agree to go with Tenzin to the Northern Air Temple to master airbending and learn about the culture that was wiped off of the face of the earth one hundred and seventy-one years ago.

"I hate to break the happy moment here," Lin continues, while the gang all raise their eyebrows. "but we have to get back to Republic City."

Korra is about to argue or try to beg to stay a little longer, but Lin holds up her hand. "We had a deal and I don't give up easy. If anything, I'll kidnap you myself and drag you to the city."

"Uh, I think kidnapping the Avatar will earn you a ticket to thirteen years plus in jail," Danny snickers. Lin's eyes flash and immediately, he shuts up.

Korra says her good-byes to the airbenders. She hugs Jinora, Tenzin, and Bumi, who starts tearing up and joking that he wants to spend more time with his dad. Korra laughs; she is going to miss Bumi's silliness.

She watches the airbenders mount Oogi and fly away, while Danny walks up to her and nudges her. "Don't worry, Kor," he says. "Everything's going to be just fine."

Korra smiles at him. She sure hopes so, but deep down inside, she knows that not everything works out the way one wants, hopes and prays, no matter how prepared one is.

She steps into the airship, heading back to the city she has left. She takes a deep breath. 'Well, vacation's over.'


	17. High Fives in Zaofu

They make a pit stop on a cliff for Naga, who has to take care of business. Both Danny and Korra step outside to stretch their legs. They also play fetch with Naga, while Lin scoffs and tries to get them back on board.

"Relax, Chief. We're not in trouble now," Korra says. "Besides, you're Lin, you can handle anything."

"Damn right I can, but I still think we should go."

"What a party pooper," Danny whispers to Korra, who laughs quietly.

Asami comes out of the ship. "We just some news. There's a new airbender in a city called Zaofu, isn't that great?"

Korra is illuminated with joy while Lin freezes. "No, we're not taking a detour."

Korra starts to argue. "We'll go to Zaofu, collect the newbie, send him or her off to Tenzin, and go back to Republic City, okay?"

Danny chimes in, "Yeah, Chief, remember you can handle anything even a detour." Lin angrily complies.

They head off and soon arrive in Zaofu, which is a city unlike any other Danny has seen. It is made entirely of metal and there are domes, which are shaped like flowers, that are used to protect the city. The city boasts a railroad, sitting on top of metal supports. Danny's eyes take in everything in sight.

Soon, their ship lands and the party exits, except for Lin, who refuses to leave. "I'm staying. You get the airbender and come back. Do this fast. I don't want to wait."

Danny does not give Lin a second thought. Korra tries to persuade Lin, but to no avail. They all leave the brooding woman in peace.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" Korra asks.

"Hey, if she wants to be sour, then let her be sour. Don't let it ruin all our moods," Danny advises. Korra nods in agreement.

Outside the ship, a man, wearing green robes and sporting the oddest face jewelry Danny has ever seen, meets them. Danny has seen some weird stuff (mostly ghosts). The man, whose name is revealed to be Aiwei, has a golden piercing stretching from his left ear to his left nostril.

Aiwei welcomes them to Zaofu. "Is this the entire party?" he asks them.

Korra fumbles. "Y-yes. This is it."

Aiwei raises his eyebrows. Danny has an inkling that the man does not believe them, but oh well. Aiwei takes them onto a train, which transports them into the heart of the city where they will meet the city's matriarch.

Danny's eyes roam over the whole city; he takes in every inch that he can. They arrive at their stop and Aiwei leads them to Suyin Beifong, who happens to be Lin's half-sister. The news shock everyone.

Danny notices that Suyin and Lin share some similarities. They both are metalbending prodigies, very determined, very strong, and have gray hair, which makes them look distinguished. They also seem like they never age.

But like any siblings, they boast their differences. Whereas Lin is frank and intimidating, Suyin is kind and welcoming. Lin is gruff; Suyin is softspoken.

Suyin takes them on a tour of her home and introduces them to her husband, Baatar, who is an architect and who designed this city, and her children, her sons: Wing and Wei (the metalbending twin duo), Baatar Jr. (her little engineer), Huan (a punk artist - Sam would get along well with him) and her daughter, Opal, who happens to be the airbender.

Everything in Zaofu is spectacular. The buildings are gorgeous. The people are awesome. The guards are quick and take their jobs very seriously.

Suyin employs a chef who can cook anything. The food here does not disappoint. Danny notices Bolin cozying up to Opal. Danny smiles. 'Bolin has a little crush.'

They receive a surprise during dinner. Varrick and Zhu Li enter. Mako, Korra, and Asami are furious that Varrick has had the gall to come here, while Bolin is ecstatic. He tries to hide his joy, but fails.

Danny has heard stories about this Varrick and thinks that the reactions he has received are well deserved. He sounds like a fun guy, but he is a trickster. Varrick wanted there to be a war so he could boost his business, which is definitely not a good guy trait.

After dinner, they are shown to their rooms. Danny bunks with Bolin and Mako, who start a conversation about Opal.

"Bo, you like her. It's so obvious. There's no point in denying it. You should totally go for it," Mako claims.

For once, Danny agrees with the firebender. "Yeah, man, she's cute, which is always good, and she seems to like you, too."

Bolin is a bit reluctant, but ultimately, decides to take a chance. He leaves their room to find Opal. Danny is left alone with Mako. He does not feel like having a very awkward and very forced conversation with him about the weather and whatnot so he decides to go for a walk around Zaofu.

About ten minutes into his walk, he meets Korra who is storming out of Lin's room. Korra begins to rant about Lin. "Why does Lin have to be so infuriating and rude? I asked Opal to come talk to Lin, but Lin threw her out. What kind of person does that?!"

"Kor, don't worry about. Lin's unmovable like a really heavy boulder. She'll come around. She doesn't seem like the type to run away from problems or evade them - that's a very airbender thing to do. She'll face it head on like a real earthbender, right?"

"I guess you're right. I shouldn't be worrying about Lin anyway. My concern should be Opal anyway."

Danny takes Korra back to her room and goes to his own, where he finds out that Bolin has been successful in talking to Opal. Danny attempts to high-five him, but Bolin shirks down, apparently thinking that Danny was about to hit him.

Mako starts freaking out. "What's wrong with you?! I don't know what kind of customs you have back wherever you came from, but here, you can't just go around hitting people!"

"Seriously? You've never heard of a 'high-five'?"

The blank looks on Mako's and Bolin's faces give the answer away. Danny states that Bolin is supposed to slap Danny's palm in return.

"This is how people express congratulations or celebration in my world."

Bolin and Mako calm down. They start practicing high-fives until their hands are raw.


	18. Training

Korra is still fuming about Lin's offensive dismissal of Opal while she is getting ready for bed. She knows Danny is right. Families do not always get along. She knows that from personal experience. Her uncle and her father were never on good terms. Her uncle even used her for his evil schemes. She also never got along with her cousins, who did not seem to love their father.

But after everything that has transpired within the past few months, family has become even more important to her. She knows that deep inside her soul there is still a trace of Aang, who is saddened by the fact that his friend's family is experiencing these kinds of rifts.

Korra also knows that sometimes blood does not always win; not every crack can be mended. Some families are only family because they are related, but they do not love or care for each other. Sometimes the families that people choose have a bigger impact on them. She thinks about her chosen family: Asami, Bolin, Mako, Danny.

With that happier note, she goes to sleep. She wants to be rested for tomorrow. She promised to help Opal with some airbending basics and she was promised to be taught some metalbending. She is looking forward to that, but she is dreading teaching Opal a little. She has never done it before. Will she be a good teacher? Will she be patient? Patience has never been her strong suit. She tries very hard, but she is not Tenzin. She has the temperament of a firebender, not an airbender. Opal, on the other hand, exemplifies patience and kindness. Korra has faith in her. She thinks Opal will pick up the skill no problem.

Morning comes and Korra wakes up around ten. She loves sleeping in. She always feels so rested. She rushes to the dining room to eat breakfast, which is delicious as always. She runs outside to find Opal reading a book. She asks her if she is ready to start, which she is. They run through some movements, focusing on the feet and then working up. They practice moving like the wind until Suyin comes to collect Korra for her basic metalbending lesson.

Korra and Opal bow to each other. Opal thanks Korra for the lesson. Korra replies that she is much obliged and leaves with Suyin. They visit her meteor collection, with which they will practice. Suyin demonstrates with a piece of metallic meteor. She moves flawlessly like a master.

Suyin hands the meteor to Korra, who reluctantly takes it. Korra squeezes it and tries to the best of her ability to bend the metallic piece into some kind of shape, any kind of shape. She feels a little self-conscious that she cannot do it. Suyin is patient and encouraging. She tells her, "Focus on the pieces of earth contained in the metal."

Korra clears her mind and focuses on these pieces. She feels them and begins to bend the metal. She forms the circular piece of metallic meteor into a sheet.

"I did it!" Korra is delighted. Suyin claps.

"I knew you could do it."

"Well, that made one of us," Korra admits.

Korra and Suyin hear a scuffle behind them. They turn around and find Bolin, who is embarrassed that he was spotted lurking. He tries to come up with an excuse for why he is here. Korra knows the real reason: he wants to metalbend, but he is a little shy to ask to be taught. He says he has tried to metalbend before, but it has never worked out. Korra persuades him to join her. Suyin repeats the basics. Then she sends them off to practice with her twins, Wing and Wei.

Wing spars with Korra, who is amazed at how good he is. He moves fast. His moves are calculated, but Korra fights on with all her might. She has picked up the skill fairly quickly. She dodges Wing's attacks and sends a cable towards him. He deflects it and sends it back towards her, knocking her over. He expresses his happiness at sparring with the Avatar.

The same cannot be said for his brother, Wei, whose opponent is Bolin. Bolin is not able to bend the piece of metal try as he might. While Wing is distracted, observing his brother and Bolin, Korra manages to knock him over, winning the match.

"WHOO! METALBENDING CHAMPION!"

She is cheered on by Danny, who has been watching the sparring matches from the sidelines. Asami meets up with all of them and announces that they should head back to the dining room. It is time for Opal's farewell dinner. They go inside to wash up, while Bolin laments that Opal is leaving.

The dinner is lovelier than ever. The chef made Opal's favorites. During dinner, Varrick demonstrates his airbender finder, which will only work if an airbender airbends into it. Korra rolls her eyes.

"Varrick, we've already been finding airbenders this way," she explains to him while Danny stifles his laughter.

Suyin makes a wonderful toast to her only daughter. Dinner ends and Opal boards the ship, which will take her to the Northern Air Temple. Before Opal leaves, Korra gives her a hug.

"Good luck, Opal. You'll do great and you'll become a master in no time."

"I hope so."

"I know so. You were my best student ever." Korra winks at Opal, who smiles.

When the airship leaves their sights, Korra trudges back to her room. She has been training the whole day and she is exhausted. She just wants to sleep. She changes into her pajamas and plops onto her bed, not bothering with the covers.


	19. Kidnappings and Explosions

"They've got Korra! THEY'RE GOT KORRA!"

Danny wakes up to Bolin's shouts. At first, he thinks the earthbender is having a nightmare, but he is wrong. Bolin is frantic, pointing at the window, and trying to wake up Mako. Danny looks out the window and he sees four people running away, one of them carrying Korra.

They all rush out of the room with Bolin still screaming. Danny hears doors opening; others have been alerted to the fact that Korra is being abducted.

The three boys are the first ones out of the house; Asami is right behind them. Bolin throws a rock at the bandits. One of them, a really shaggy one without a shirt, separates his group from the foursome with lava.

Danny stops in his tracks. He definitely was not expecting that. He was not aware that such a technique like lavabending even existed.

Water, rocks, air, and fire are all being flung at Danny and the crew. Danny notices that the firebender is not bending with her hands, but with her mind. 'Whoa, my mind is blown. No pun intended.'

They are soon joined by the metalbenders. Lin and Suyin create a plan to go up on the dome and lower themselves to save Korra. Bolin's task is to throw a rock at the Third-Eyed Freak to stop her from blowing up the rescue team.

While Mako and Bolin keep firing shots at Korra's captors, Danny lets his hand go ghost. He has gotten better control of his powers and now he can transform only one body part at a time. It is a helpful technique, especially now. He shoots green blasts at them. No one notices him and his ghostly hand since they are all concentrated on the task at hand: rescuing Korra.

Danny's head is overrun with numerous thoughts and questions. What if these creeps get away? What will happen to Korra? What the hell do they even want with her? He doubts they want her attend a tea party with them. He does not let the thoughts get the better of him.

After some missed shots, Bolin throws a rock - propelled using Danny's ghost powers -at the combustionbender. The rock hits the combustionbender's "third eye" and her connection to her powers is temporarily severed.

Lin and Suyin swoop down and save Korra. The bald thug airbends a tornado around his cronies and they vanish without a trace. Korra is taken inside and given an antidote to detoxify her body. She has been paralyzed. Danny was wondering why she was not fighting back. Korra enjoys a good battle.

They move her into a different, bigger room that contains a green couch. They let her rest. Danny decides to stay with her and make sure she is okay.

Korra begins to talk. She is a little shaken. "Danny, I was so scared. I hate that I couldn't do anything. I hate that I couldn't save myself."

"Dude, it's not your fault that you couldn't do anything. You were paralyzed."

"I'm the hero. I'm the one who is supposed to save people. It's weird having them save me."

"It's weird at first, but you need to rely on your friends. You can't do everything by yourself. I can't tell you how many time my friends saved my ass because I couldn't save it myself," Danny consoles her. "Anyway, Suyin's very pissed. She's going to launch an investigation."

Korra finally calms down and falls asleep. It takes Danny a little longer to drift off; he is still plagued by those questions and tosses and turns on the couch. When he wakes up, he notices that Korra is gone and there is breakfast on the bedside table. He washes up, dresses himself, and eats quickly. He wonders how long he was out.

Danny finds Mako, Korra, Asami and Bolin outside, discussing the events of last night and the outcome of the interrogation, in which a young guard has been accused of helping Zaheer and his comrades penetrate the city. Mako is very suspicious; he thinks that this may be a setup.

"The guard is only eighteen. He was five when Zaheer was imprisoned. How could he know anything about him?"

"So then who do you think did it?" Danny asks. "Some other guard?"

"No, maybe someone higher up like Aiwei," Mako suggests.

"Aiwei? He couldn't do that. Suyin trusts him," Asami disagrees.

"Asami, you trusted your father and he helped the Equalists. Korra trusted Unalaq and he betrayed her. You guys also trusted Varrick and he was playing all of you. Because you trust someone is not a good reason to cross them off the suspect list at least according to our history," Mako argues.

No one else seems to be swayed by Mako's case so he elaborates, "Think about it. Aiwei was the only one who was not interrogated. He is the only one who can keep a secret here. Because he is close to Suyin, he has access to places that regular guards simply do not have."

Danny agrees. "Solid reasoning, detective."

They decide that it is a good idea to investigate Aiwei's home. They note that it is empty so they come in. The crew snoops around for about five minutes and find a secret door that seems to lead to a hidden room in the basement. Asami shouts that Aiwei is coming.

They have no chance to flee; they freeze. Aiwei finds them inside and he wonders what they are up to. They do not want to tell him the truth, but they cannot lie so they try the half-truth. Aiwei is not as stupid as his jewelry and catches on. He realizes that they suspect him.

Quickly, he runs through the secret door and metalbends a wall between himself and the crew, giving himself a chance to escape. Much to Mako's chagrin, Korra metalbends the door slowly. She becomes frustrated and bangs the metal door, creating a huge hole though which Danny runs.

He decides he will go ghost and chase down Aiwei. He is running down the stairs about to transform when he hears an explosion and feels heat and fire surround him. He is knocked backwards and hits a wall - hard. He thinks and hopes that this may be his imagination because he smells burning flesh and his left arm really stings.

"Danny! Danny!" he hears Korra's voice. "Are you okay?"

He cannot make out her face; she is very blurry. Her voice is fading. His head throbs and everything goes black.


	20. Truth and Tricks

Korra is horrified. She is yelling Danny's name. She is shaking him, but he is not responding. She knows that he is still alive; she feels a pulse, but she is still scared. She sees his burnt flesh. She tries to heal him, but the smoke is overpowering her.

She lifts Danny and carries him out of the basement just when Suyin and Lin run up to them.

"What happened here?" Lin demands.

"Are you okay?" Suyin asks. They all nod. "Where's Aiwei?"

"Aiwei is gone. He is the traitor. He rigged the explosion to hide the evidence that he helped Zaheer into the city," Asami explains.

Korra lays Danny down on Aiwei's couch and begins to heal him. She is furious at what happened to her friend. She is furious at Aiwei. She wants answers. She wants to track him down and give him the ultimate smack-down. How could he do this? How could he betray them all to Zaheer? What is in it for him? Suyin trusted him. How could he do that to her? Suyin is in a terrible fury. She shouts for the guards to track down Aiwei following the tunnel. She wants him found. She wants to make him pay.

They take Danny to a hospital wing. The nurses wrap his arm in green bandages and they leave him to rest.

Korra expresses her desire to find Aiwei, but the idea is immediately shut down by Lin and surprisingly, Suyin. Korra is furious, but there is nothing she can do about it. She was counting on Suyin to let her go. She thought that Suyin would want the same answers that Korra is desperate to obtain.

Turns out, Suyin was just faking it. By pretending to take Lin's side, she bought them some time. This way Lin would not get involved. Suyin gives Asami the keys to the a jeep to track down Aiwei.

The four of them ride out during the night- Korra on Naga and Mako and Bolin in the jeep driven by Asami. They spend the night tracking down Aiwei. Finally, they find his car by a village called the Misty Palms Oasis. The girls send the guys to do some reconnaissance, while they try to find clues in Aiwei's jeep. Asami finds a note written with a meeting point at Xai Bau's Grove after sundown. They look on the map, but cannot find this place anywhere. Some spirits sit on the map, but they shoo them away.

The boys come back and tell them that they have found Aiwei at a motel. They go down there to investigate, but they cannot get a room until it is revealed that Bolin is a celebrity by his imposing but adoring fans. They get a room across Aiwei's. Their room is so cramped, but it will do. They have business to attend to. Asami and Bolin play Pai Sho to pass the time and Bolin complains about the rules. Korra is not listening to them. She is keeping her eyes on Aiwei's door just in case he leaves. Mako is just as vigilant as Korra.

Hours pass and Aiwei does not leave his room. Korra is very pissed off; she wants to make Aiwei talk. She storms into his room and finds him meditating; he has gone into the Spirit World and that is where she realizes that Xai Bau's Grove must be.

She copies him and finds herself in the Spirit World. She witnesses Zaheer talking to Aiwei; Zaheer is angry and he transports somewhere with Aiwei. When he comes back, he is alone and his eyes are on Korra.

Korra confronts him. She asks all the questions that are bugging her. He responds to all of them. The answers he gives disturb her. He tells her that is part of the Red Lotus, a group that was part of the White Lotus, but seceded because the White Lotus was worshiping the Avatar. The Red Lotus was founded by Xai Bau and its goal is bringing freedom to the world.

Zaheer states that he plans to annihilate the world leaders because the world would be better off without them. He asks Korra's opinion. She is horrified, but President Pig floats through her mind.

'He could die for all I care. He's an ass - no, no, no, no one should be killed because he or she sucks. Otherwise, I would've killed the queen after five minutes into the conversation."

"No, there will just be chaos" is her reply. She does not want chaos. It will not benefit the world. Plus, that would be more work for her and she already has way too much on her plate.

Zaheer smiles and says that chaos is the natural order of the world. He tells her that they wanted to kidnap her as child to teach her their ways. She almost falls back from shock when he tells her that Unalaq was in on the plan to kidnap her, but he covered his tracks really well.

Korra tries being diplomatic. "Zaheer, you're an airbender now. You can help bring balance to the world and make a positive difference."

He rebuffs her. "Change is coming and it's inevitable; it can't be stopped."

This is not working and she has another worrisome thought on her brain. "What will you do when - or if - you capture me?"

He smiles. "You'll find out when you leave the spirit world. My friends should have you by now." With that, he disappears.

She realizes that he told her everything she wanted to know to buy his goons some time so they could capture her. She is horrified. He seems crazy. What the hell does Zaheer have in store for her? She can only hope that she is strong enough to handle it.


	21. Finding Korra

Danny wakes up, expecting to be on the airship back to Republic City. He half-expects for Korra to be there by his side, but he is wrong. His left arm feels a bit heavy. He looks at it and receives quite a surprise: his arm is covered with green bandages. He feels a slight stinging sensation, which triggers his memory of Aiwei's treachery and the explosion. The nurse sees that he is awake and brings him some breakfast. He eats quickly and goes outside to find his friends.

Just when he closes the door, he hears shouts. It sounds like two women. 'I wonder who that could be,' he questions, already knowing the answer. He follows the voices to the training grounds. Lin is red-faced with fury yelling at the top of her lungs while Suyin is trying to calm her down. He pieces the conversation together: Korra and the rest have gone after Aiwei and have not yet returned.

Suyin tries to reassure Lin. "Everything will be alright. The kids will come back soon. Don't worry. They're strong. They can handle anything."

Danny begins to worry. What if they found Aiwei and Zaheer? He gulps. He does not want to think what Zaheer could and will do to Korra.

"I think you're confusing them with me!" retorts Lin. "But even I can't handle Zaheer! You just sent them to their deaths! Congratulations! You killed the Avatar!" She throws up her hands in exasperation and takes a deep breath. "I'm going after them."

Danny runs up to her. "I'm going with you."

Lin rebuffs him. "Like hell you are."

He presses on. "Korra's my friend. I don't want her to be in any trouble. Just think of me as backup."

"Danny's right Lin. You can't do everything by yourself," Suyin chimes in.

Lin shoots her sister a very dirty look. Then she turns her attention to Danny. "Fine, you can come, kid, but don't be a nuisance," Lin complies angrily. She stalks to a jeep and gets in. "Hey, kid, are you waiting for special invitation?" she gruffly asks. Danny shakes his head. "Well, then GET IN!"

Danny turns to Suyin. "Thanks for everything. Your city's awesome."

She gives him a hug. "Be careful and don't let Lin get to you. Say 'hello' to the others for me, okay?"

"I promise." He runs to the jeep, where Lin waits impatiently, tapping her finger on the steering wheel. He hops in the car. She hits the gas and they drive off.

The drive is uncomfortably silent. Danny knows Lin is neither a talker nor a sharer. He is not going to pry into her life and force her to talk. He is going to enjoy the silence and the landscape. He tries not to think what - if anything - has happened to Korra. 'Think positive, hero boy," he tells himself.

They halt at a rest stop. Danny decides that it is better to take care of business now instead of asking Lin to pull over at some random spot later on. She will definitely not appreciate that and he does not want to inconvenience her because an unhappy Lin is a dangerous Lin.

Five minutes later, the drive commences. They are following two sets of tracks: Naga's and a jeep's. They take a right and the tracks stop. Lin finds Aiwei's jeep while Danny is ambushed by Naga and Pabu, who assault his face with their tongues. Lin throws the critters some snacks to calm them down. Her eyes and Danny's connect; they are thinking something is wrong. Korra would not just leave Naga behind.

Lin begins making some calls. They make their way to a seedy little bar and they order drinks. Danny gets some fruity cocktail that tastes like a smoothie. They wait for a while, which feels like days, and then they are joined by two men. One happens to be a middle-aged man and the chief of the Southern Water Tribe, Tonraq, Korra's father and someone Danny has not seen for weeks. They smile and shake hands. The other man is old, very old with snow white hair and a long white beard. He sports a scar on his left eye. Danny has an inkling who this man is. Korra has told him stories about how this man helped end the Hundred Year War with her past life, Avatar Aang, and became a wonderful Fire Lord, adored by millions.

Danny bows. "Fire Lord Zuko, it... it is an honor to meet you."

Zuko chuckles and extends his hand, which Danny takes. Zuko wonders out loud who this young man is.

Tonraq replies, "This is Danny, a visitor, and a friend of Korra's."

Zuko smiles. "Any friend of the Avatar's is a friend of mine. Danny, it is a pleasure."

The men order drinks and they sit down. The atmosphere is tense and they sit in silence, sometimes broken by a cough or a sniffle or a feeble attempt at conversation.

"It's so hot here," Tonraq starts. "You never get this kind of weather in the South Pole. I don't know how you can stand this heat." He waterbends some ice to cool himself off.

"Well, it's the desert. What do you expect?" retorts Lin.

Zuko chuckles. "It gets this hot in the Fire Nation and sometimes even hotter. Of course, we don't have ice to cool us off."

The conversation ends. Silence lingers on for some time again. Tonraq takes another stab at discussion, "So, Danny, you and Korra, huh?"

Danny's eyes widen as everyone stares at him, waiting for his reply. He takes a sip of his drink and chokes a little. He clears his throat and chuckles nervously. 'Is it just me or is it really hot here all of a sudden?'

'I'm sorry. I don't know what you mean, Chief," he replies.

"Kid, how slow can you be? He's wondering if you and the Avatar have some kind of romantic connection," Lin says.

"I know what the Chief is implying, but I don't know where he got that idea," Danny explains.

"You guys were always together in the South Pole so I assumed that...you and she... that, uh, you two...you know...uh, never mind," the Chief finishes lamely.

"Nothing is going on, Chief," Danny says. "We're just friends, nothing more."

"Ah, young love is full of mysteries," Zuko says, taking a sip of his tea and winking at Danny, who does not know how to respond to that.

Nothing is going on between him and Korra. 'Why can't a girl and a guy just be friends without people always thinking that something more is going on?' Korra and Danny are just close and they understand each other, but they do not feel anything romantic towards each other. Nothing can happen anyway - not that they want it to; they hail from different worlds and he has to go back to his, which he will when he gets the chance.

They have reached the topic of Korra, which prompts Tonraq to wonder when his daughter will arrive.

"I can't tell you when or if she'll come," Lin responds. "All I know is that Korra's missing and has left Naga behind."

Tonraq eyes flash with fear. Lin continues,"I called you guys here so that we can strategize. We all know how dangerous Zaheer is and we don't want Korra in his clutches. So we have to get her back. Any ideas?"


	22. Operation Freedom

Korra wakes up, not knowing what to expect and fearing what might happen. The first thing she notices is that she is bound, in chains. She cannot move, but she struggles and yells, waking up Asami, who is handcuffed to a wall.

"Asami, has Zaheer captured us?"

"No, we were captured by Earth Kingdom forces and we're heading to Ba Sing Se to be delivered to the queen."

Korra is only slightly relieved. "What has happened to Mako and Bolin?"

"I don't know. They stayed behind to hold off the lavabender and the waterbender," Asami's lip trembles. "I hope that the boys are alright."

"Me, too." Korra's mind wanders to Danny. "I hope Danny's also okay."

The guards come in to move them onto an airship, but Korra tries to persuade them to let her go. "The queen is in danger! You have to let me go! I need to go and save her! Zaheer's going to kill her!"

The guards do not believe her. They chain her and Asami to the wall. When the guard leaves, Asami breaks the rail off the wall and frees herself. She goes to examine Korra's restraints, but they will not come undone without keys. Asami formulates a plan.

She pries open a floor panel. "Korra, call for help in five minutes." She disappears below. The time ticks by slowly; Korra counts the seconds. Five minutes pass and she does as instructed. "Guard! GUARD! Help! HELP!"

The guard answers, but he is knocked out by Asami who takes the keys and unchains Korra. They run into the control room and Korra knocks out the captain and the helmsman with her airbending. She went overboard and jammed the control, crashing the ship into the desert.

Asami and Korra climb to the top of the ship, inspecting the damage. "Korra, sometimes you just overdo it. I don't think I'll be able to fix this mess."

"Don't worry and don't try to run away. I called before we crashed. Another ship is on its way," the captain tells them. The crew begins to relax. They make themselves comfortable until Asami points out a sand dune that seems to be moving closer to their location. Some of the crew scoff.

"It's only a mirage. The desert plays tricks on you," the captain says.

"For your sake, I hope it is, but I'm not going to stick around just in case it's something else, something that wants to eat us," Asami says.

"I'm with Asami. I don't feel like dying," Korra chimes in.

The possibility of the sand dune being something sinister encourages the crew to stop lollygagging. They help Asami fix the ship, while Korra airbends the sand away.

The work is going smoothly; the engines have been somewhat repaired and can be started. Korra watches Asami work. She notices how swiftly, precisely, and flawlessly Asami moves. She admires that fact that Asami excels at engineering; she might even be better at constructing than her father. Korra realizes that she has been staring for quite some time. She blinks and looks away, but when she does, she hears a rumble coming from underneath the sand. Something is moving, trying to break out to the surface. As these thoughts grace her mind, a giant sand shark springs up from beneath the sand and snaps the ship in half.

The crew starts to freak out. "How are we going to get back?! WE'RE DOOMED!"

" Another ship is coming in a few hours," the captain reassures his crew.

"We might not have a few hours," Asami responds.

"How far away is the edge of the desert?" Korra asks. "Maybe we can walk."

"It's too far to walk. We should just sit put," the captain answers.

This option does not sit well with neither Korra nor Asami, who decides to build a sand-sailer out of the destroyed ship. The crew does not think that being sand shark chum sounds appetizing. The men agree with the girls and they begin collect as many spare parts as they can while Asami gets to work. Korra helps the crew and metalbends the parts into certain rudimentary shapes according to Asami's instructions.

It is very hot and Korra begins to sweat, but she presses on. The work must continue; they must get out of the desert. There is a psycho loose and it is Korra's duty to stop him from bringing anarchy to the world.

The sailer is almost complete when they notice that the sand shark is approaching them again. Korra urges them all to board; they do not have time to finish the job at hand unless they want to end up shark food.

Korra propels the sailer forward with her airbending. The shark follows and slowly gains on them. It is within reach and springs up from the sand. It lunges at the sailer, but cannot reach it. The shark descends back. 'What a quitter,' Korra thinks while the crew cheers. While she considers that, the shark makes a sudden reappearance, nearly swallowing the sailer and the crew with it. Korra thinks quickly and firebends into the creature's mouth, incapacitating it and making it disappear underneath the sand for good.

They ride through the desert in the grueling heat for a couple of hours. The atmosphere is tense and everyone is silent. Korra's mind wanders back to her friends, the ones she left behind. She also wonders about the Red Lotus and the airbenders. She ponders how their training with Tenzin is going. Is he working them to a pulp? Is he following his prescription: patience? Korra chuckles, imagining a profoundly disheveled Tenzin.

Soon, they see the edge of the desert and the Misty Palms Oasis. The sand sailer is stopped and falls apart when the passengers disembark.

"I'm sorry for stranding us in the desert," Korra directs her apology at the captain.

"Let bygones be bygones." He offers her his hook, which she shakes. "For what it's worth, I think you're doing a great job as the Avatar. Seems like such a demanding job, for which I would never volunteer." He laugh.

It is Korra's turn to thank him for the compliment. "It's nice to hear that not everyone hates me."

The captain turns to Asami. "Thank you for getting us out of the desert, Miss Sato. You are an engineering genius a remarkable woman." Asami beams.

They notice a huge red dragon tied to a tree, scaring some Arctic camels. The crew wonders whether it is a mirage and whether they have been exposed to the heat for too long; the captain decides he is going to get a drink.

Korra is about to go to town to try to find a phone and contact Zaofu for help and to give them the location of their whereabouts when she is ambushed by Naga, who is ecstatic to see her owner. Korra is also very happy to see her best friend. She showers the gigantic furball with hugs and kisses.

The girls go to a tavern, where they are surprised to find Lin, Fire Lord Zuko, Korra's father, and Danny. Korra runs up to Danny and hugs him tightly; she notices Fire Lord Zuko looking at them with raised eyebrows. She then proceeds to hug her father and bows to Zuko, while Lin proceeds to berate her.

The girls recall their adventures. Korra launches into the story about the Red Lotus and Zaheer. Her account is interrupted by a radio broadcast, which announces to the tavern that the Earth Queen has been killed. Everyone at the table is surprised and wonders how this happened, but Korra knows exactly who did it: Zaheer.


	23. Psycho Zaheer

'Holy crap, this world has just gotten crazier and more intense,' Danny thinks. The news about the queen has unsettled everyone at the table; they begin to strategize. They wonder if every world leader is going to be subject to the same fate.

Korra wants to go find Mako and Bolin, but Tonraq says they do not know where they are and she cannot run around the whole world searching for two boys. They have other matters to attend to. Lin suggests going to Zaofu. Everyone agrees. Korra is still sullen when they leave the tavern. She wants to find her friends. Danny knows the feeling; he is also worried about the guys.

But as if by magic or the power of thought, they are greeted by the bending brothers, who have brought their whole family from Ba Sing Se. After hearing about the queen's murder, Danny thought that he could handle any kind of bad tidings, but when the boys drop their news, it hits him like a bomb.

The brothers recount that they were captured by Zaheer's cronies and taken to Ba Sing Se, where they were thrown into prison. They heard what happened to the queen - the news is everywhere and has really changed people. They say that Ba Sing Se is now in ruins and chaos is rampant. The brothers were released from prison and took control of an airship and went to save their family.

The gang mulls this over, thinking that this is the worst of it, but no, there is more news to behold and it is far graver.

"Zaheer was the one who freed us from jail so that we could deliver his message to Korra," Bolin says.

Mako and Bolin tell them that Zaheer is planning to go to the Northern Air Temple to exterminate the new airbenders unless Korra surrenders herself to the Red Lotus. Danny is horrified. He notices Korra contemplating this; she is troubled he can tell. He does not want her to do this. Everyone is going to persuade her against this, that they will find a way to fix this, but what about all the new airbenders? Zaheer is a psycho. He is going to slaughter them without a second thought. The gang is not going to put it past him.

Korra relays the news to Beifong, who suggests that they go to Zaofu and try to contact Tenzin. They ride swiftly and with purpose. They arrive at Zaofu, find Suyin and tell her the horrible news. She is frightened; her daughter is at the that temple.

Bolin attempts to contact Tenzin, but is prevented by Meelo, who is not listening. Korra takes charge and orders Meelo to go get his father. Meelo leaves and there is a few seconds of silence until they are broken by Tenzin.

"Thank the spirits you're okay, Tenzin!" Korra begins to breathe easy. "Listen to me. This is very important. Evacuate the temple now because Zaheer's coming after you all."

She hears silence and wonders if the connection has been interrupted. Then she hears Tenzin's voice. "Zaheer's here."

Everyone in the room freezes upon hearing the news. Tenzin hangs up and Korra begins to tear up. Danny feels like he cannot breathe. He wants to tell her that everything will be okay. He hopes so - he really does - but he also remains clouded in doubt. Either way this is going to suck. Either Korra gets killed or all the airbenders get killed. There is no bright side.

They tell the news to the rest and they begin to organize a plan of attack. They are going to go to the temple to save the airbenders.

Korra paces around. She is very agitated. "Danny, I'm lost. I don't know what to do," she confesses.

"I don't know what to do, either," he says truthfully. He sees her crestfallen face and racks his brain, trying to figure out what to tell her. What does he does he when he cannot figure out what his next steps should be?

"When I'm stressed out, I go to the Ghost Zone and fly around, trying to clear my head."

"That's it! You're a genius!" she shouts and claps him on the shoulder. She runs off to meditate.

While she does that, the rest are packing up an airship that will transport some Zaofu guards, the gang, and weapons to the Northern Air Temple. Korra comes back when they finish packing. She looks scared, but determined.

"Guys, I don't any other option," she takes a deep breath. "I have to surrender."

Tonraq and the rest are horrified, while Danny is left speechless. He really does not want her to do this. He clings to the hope that there has to be another way, but he knows that there is none.

They leave Zaofu. Zuko does not go with them; he is heading off to the Fire Nation to protect his daughter, the current Fire Lord just in case Zaheer and company make it their next mission to annihilate her. The gang discusses various plans of attack.

"None of these plans will work. Zaheer's too cunning," Korra tells them. Everyone looks at her. "I'll give myself up. Me for all the airbenders. I already told Zaheer that I will do this."

"But I have a plan to save both the airbenders and Korra," Suyin begins. "Bolin, Mako and Asami will go with the airship to the temple to rescue the airbenders. The rest will provide backup for Korra. I don't know where to place you,Danny."

"I'll make my decision when we arrive," he responds. He already knows what he is going to do. He has his own little operation in mind.

They land on a small mountain and separate. Danny tells Suyin he will go with the guys and Asami to rescue the airbenders. He runs off, but hides behind a rock, making it look like he went inside the airship, which heads off. He sees it go and silently sends them luck.

He turns around and sees Korra walking towards to the peak Zaheer has chosen. Danny resolves to take action. He goes ghost and becomes invisible. He is going to be there with Korra no matter what. He is going to be her guardian angel. She will not know though. 'Well, it's back to work,' he muses and flies off to join Korra at the rendezvous point.


	24. Sacrifice

Korra takes a deep breath and charges up the mountain to face Zaheer. She is scared and she feels alone, but at the same time, not alone. She feels a pleasant presence around her. She wonders what invisible spirit is hiding. She feels overwhelmed, but she knows that this is the right thing to do. This thought calms her and gives her the strength to get to the top.

She sees Zaheer and P'Li, the combustion bender, when she reaches the peak. "Drop your glider and your radio," Zaheer commands.

She ignores him. Mako radios in, "We see Tenzin, the airbenders and unfortunately, the lavabender."

Korra turns her attention to the leader of the Red Lotus. "Zaheer, tell Ghazan to stand down."

"You surrender first," he replies. She does not. Zaheer radios Ghazan, "Wipe out the prisoners."

Korra heart drops; she cannot let him do this. She thinks about the airbenders and blinks back tears. She has made up her mind and complies. This is what she has to do. This is what she came for. She is the Avatar and her duty is protect people, all kinds of people. Korra drops her radio and her glider. She walks forward and P'Li cuffs her hands and legs in platinum handcuffs, which she is informed she cannot bend no matter how hard she tries.

She is being led forward to the airship on which Zaheer and P'Li arrived when she hears Mako's voice come through the radio. "This is a trick! Don't give yourself in, Korra. The airbenders aren't here!"

Korra is furious that Zaheer double-crossed her. She begins fighting back, trying to get away from Zaheer and his girlfriend.

Soon, the metalbenders and her father join them on the peak. A huge fight ensues. P'Li holds the metalbenders back with her combustionbending. She aims with precision and her precision is deadly.

Meanwhile Korra fights Zaheer. She is giving it her all, but the cuffs restrain her. She cannot move freely. She cannot bend the way she likes and the way she is used to. She is losing the battle, but her father jumps in, battering Zaheer brutally with ice and water.

After an intense fight, Tonraq is exposed and Zaheer throws him off the cliff. Korra freezes and her mind explodes. She starts cursing Zaheer, while fighting tears which are blurring her vision. She cannot fight anymore; there is too much going on.

Her heart is thumping really hard. She cannot believe what she just had witnessed. Zaheer has killed her father, her father, the one who was always there for Korra, who loved her with all his heart and whom she loved. She thinks about her mother, who has just lost the love of her life.

Korra becomes enraged. Zaheer is going to pay and she is going to make sure of it. This pushes her to keep fighting. She will join her father one day, but not today. Today, Tonraq's death will be avenged.

She hears an explosion behind her, but does not pay any attention to it. She will not let anything deter her from whacking Zaheer and beating him. The same cannot be said for Zaheer.

He looks for the source of the explosion and his face falls. Korra takes advantage of the distracted Zaheer and attacks him. His reflexes are superb even she admits that. He turns around and cuts off her attack, subduing her. She falls hard on the ground. He picks her up and places her over his shoulder like a ragdoll.

Lin and Suyin make their way to the top, still hoping to rescue Korra. Zaheer backs to the edge of the peak. Korra wonders if he is going to jump and commit suicide. He utters a few words: "Let go your earthly tether, enter the void, empty and become wind" and steps off the ledge. Korra is both horrified and genuinely surprised. She cannot even scream. She tries to brace herself for impact, but she feels herself floating. 'Holy crap! Zaheer can fly without a glider. What the _HELL_? How is this freaking possible? How can anyone stop him now?'

She looks down and sees that everyone is staring and pointing at them, shouting "He can fly! He can fly! Look at that! He can fly!" She hears Lin's gruff and annoyed voice, "Yeah, we can all see that. Now what are we going to do about it?"

Korra heart falls. Zaheer has won. She has her. Now what? What is he going to do to her? What is his psychotic plan?

She starts thinking about the airbenders. Where are they? Where is Tenzin? Where are Mako, Asami, Danny, and Bolin? She hopes they are safe. She lets these questions consume her as Zaheer steers them to a cave, where he chains her up over the mouth of a volcano.

She looks down and sees Ghazan and Ming-Hua, the waterbender without arms, leering at her. She sees many more members of the Red Lotus. Some are wearing masks, some are not. She tries to count them, but there are too many and she is losing focus.

She is panicking. She is scared. She tries to break free from the chains, but they are bound too tight. They are too strong and she cannot metalbend them either.

Thoughts are swirling in her head, creating a storm in her brain. She cannot clear her mind. She mourns the death of her father. She fears for her the fates of her friends. Fear consumes her. She sees no way out of this. She tries to be brave for her and for everyone who is counting on her.


	25. Poison? No Thanks

Danny has been following Korra. He has been with her every moment on the peak. He heard how Zaheer tricked her. He saw Korra fighting for her life. He saw Tonraq join the battle. Danny wanted to aid them, but he could not. Zaheer was moving way too fast; Danny could not get a clear shot. He tried focusing on taking out P'Li, but there were too many metalbenders around her. He did not want to hit any of them.

He saw Zaheer fling Tonraq off the cliff. His heart raced and he swooped down, catching the Chief and flying him to the other side of the peak. He rushed back to Korra, who was fighting Zaheer. He heard the explosion and felt something wet hit him. He realized that it was blood and that the Third-Eyed Freak was no more. He saw Zaheer back away and fall off the ledge. Danny thought that Zaheer committed suicide and took Korra down with him. He was wrong. Zaheer gained the ability to fly. Danny heard people screaming "He can fly! He can fly!" Danny thought 'So can I" and he took off after Zaheer.

Danny is still trailing Zaheer, but he is not making any rash decisions. Danny does not want to act now. He does not want to save Korra at this moment. That will provoke Zaheer into slaying the airbenders. He tries to think of a plan. He turns around and witnesses two bison flying to the same cave. He notices Kai leading the rest of the rescue party. Danny knows that they are going to save the airbenders, while he goes after Korra then.

He watches Zaheer land and carry Korra into a cave. He chains her up over the mouth of a volcano. She shouts. She curses him for everything, especially killing her father.

"Don't worry, Avatar," he answers her calmly; he is not perturbed. "This is going to be over soon. Your suffering will end in this world and the Avatar is going to be no more. The cycle is going to break. You'll be poisoned and it'll be unimaginably painful, but completely necessary."

While the Red Lotus members are bringing out the poison, Danny springs into action. Staying invisible, he also becomes intangible. He zips to Korra and grabs her, transferring his undetectable states to her. He hears commotion and confusion buzzing behind him. He flies through the rock and he lands on top of the cave with Korra in his arms. He reveals himself and they hug. She cries a little due to fear and mourning.

"Dude, everything's chill and I mean it this time," he consoles her. "The rest have gone on the rescue mission."

"That's great news!" She smiles and claps her hands. "Thanks for saving me. Now, take me back to Zaheer."

"Kor, are you crazy? I know Zaheer is!" He is horrified. "I'm not going to do it and you don't have to do it."

"Danny, this is my fight, but I'm not going in there alone. I've got backup." She looks at him and he understands the message.

"Fine, I'll be your invisible fighting force."

"Here's the plan, ghosty. You take out as many goons as you can, okay?"

"Okay."

"And I need a favor."

"Anything."

"Leave Zaheer to me," she commands.

"Okay, make him suffer," he chuckles.

They prepare to leave. He makes them both invisible and intangible again. He floats through the rock and looks down at the scene below. Mako and Bolin have joined the commotion below. They are battling Ming-Hua and Ghazan respectively. Bolin has apparently unlocked his ability to lavabend.

"Do you see that?!" Danny whispers to Korra, almost losing his concentration and almost falling from the ceiling due to shock.

"I'm not blind!" Korra whispers back.

Danny scrutinizes the scene. There is so much chaos - something Zaheer should be enjoying, but they know that he is not. The master's plan has been foiled. The Avatar has somehow been rescued.

Danny spots Zaheer and zooms to him with Korra in tow. He places her behind Zaheer. She taps Zaheer's shoulder and he turns around, receiving a huge blow across his mouth. The sound of the punch echoes in the cave. Danny smirks. He is acquainted with being on the receiving end of one of Korra's punches. They sting; she has a good arm.

He leaves her to fight Zaheer while he takes on the other members of the Red Lotus, quickly picking them off one by one. Occasionally, he flies to Zaheer just to zap him with his ghostly powers, distracting and hurting the airbender. It is not necessary for him to do this; Zaheer is being creamed by Korra, but Danny decides he should at least make this fight entertaining for himself.

Chaos is everywhere. Everyone is fighting. Rocks, water, fire, and air whizz around. People are ducking and retaliating. Tonraq joins the fight, but Korra does not notice her resurrected father. She is busy beating Zaheer to a pulp.

Danny redirects his attention to the rest of the goons that have yet to be zapped by him. Some have run outside. He finishes off the ones in the cave with Tonraq's help. Mako and Bolin have disappeared, probably still fighting Ming-Hua and Ghazan. Danny hears a distant scream. It sounded like a woman's. He hears a rumble in the distance. Something it seems is crumbling down. Minutes later, Mako and Bolin emerge, walking to Tonraq. They decide to unite with Korra in her struggle with Zaheer. They rush forward toward the duel.

Before they get there, they hear a huge crash. They see Korra and Zaheer writhing on the ground in pain. Korra's leg is covered in a grayish metallic liquid: the poison. Zaheer is not so lucky; his whole body is coated in it. Zaheer screams and the sounds reverberate on the walls.

Danny flies to Korra and picks her up. He hears shouts from below. He is still invisible; he wonders how weird it looks for a writhing Korra to just be swooped into the air and carried away. He does not care though. His mission is to get out of the cave and to a metalbender. Tonraq, Mako, and Bolin are tailing them.

He speeds out and finds Suyin, who has been reunited with her daughter. The airbenders have captured the fleeing members of the Red Lotus and are celebrating their victory. Danny becomes visible and places Korra in front of Suyin.

"Suyin, Korra needs your help," he pleads. "She has been poisoned and you can remove the poison because it's metallic."

The three men join them and Danny reverts back to his human self. Tonraq, Mako, and Bolin gasp - Bolin's gasp being the most dramatic because he is Bolin.

Danny's secret is revealed. 'Oh well, it was bound to come out anyway.' Suyin focuses her attention on Korra and removes the poison from her leg. Korra stops whimpering and tries to stand up, but her left leg gives way. Danny catches her.

"Thanks, Danny. Thanks for everything," she hugs him.

"I've got good news and bad news," Mako starts. "Zaheer's no more and neither are the lavabender and the waterbender. Bolin and I took care of that." He is proud of himself, while Bolin flexes his muscles. "Also, the temple is destroyed thanks to Ghazan."

Everyone rejoices. Everyone who they have been trying to save is alive. That is the most important thing and they are very grateful. A huge threat has been stopped. This news eases their nerves better than any calming tea could ever do.

"Okay, I'm confused," Bolin begins. "What is the good news and what is the bad news?"

Danny laughs. "What do you think?"

"Well, the destroyed is bad. Zaheer and his guys being stopped is good, but they died and death is...bad."

Mako rolls his eyes. They all exchange looks: 'Let Bolin figure this out himself.' Jinora gathers air bison and they can fly back to Republic City.

Danny decides to go ghost for a while and fly alongside them. It feels nice to not have to hide anything anymore. He feels the wind ruffle his hair. He smiles. The terror is over.

'It's time to get back into vacation mode. After all, that's what the Ghost Zone sent me here for.'


	26. Farewell

It has been two weeks since her fight with Zaheer. A lot has happened since then. Korra went to some healers, who tried their best to fix her leg. She has to depend on crutches for a few weeks. Korra has been hailed a hero once again. Her polls ratings have shot up (Raiko was pissed because his were still really low). She was welcomed back into Republic City - like she knew would happen. Jinora got her airbending tattoos. Korra was very proud of her "little sister." Jinora is smart, resourceful, and a quick thinker. She deserves this honor.

Korra also said goodbye to her friends - Tenzin, the airbenders, Mako, Bolin, and Asami - in Republic City and left for the South Pole. She is still relying on her crutches. She is traveling to the South Pole for physical therapy and Katara-style healing.

Danny has accompanied her. She is thankful that she will have someone to talk to. Asami volunteered to come, but Korra knows that Asami has to take care of her company. She has commitments in Republic City. Plus, she does not want Asami to see her like this. She can only bear Danny to see her like this.

She feels a little broken. She sports various scratches on her body and face. She has a huge cut on her right arm, some broken fingers and not to mention, her hurt left leg. She knows that the poison has not been in long enough to do some permanent damage, but she still fears that she will not be able to walk without her crutches. She has to remind herself that it only has been two weeks. It takes a lot longer to heal.

She has also come back home to relax. She has been under so much stress. She knows Danny is going to miss their friends and so will she. She also knows that Danny is not looking forward to eating only Water Tribe food. She laughs.

"Don't worry, ghost boy. We'll still have our secret seal jerky parties," she tells him.

She has forgotten that he does not exactly belong here in this world, that he is from another. Everyone has been so welcoming and friendly and he fits right in. She acknowledges that he misses his planet and that he has to go back home, but she has no idea how.

She does not want him to go. He understands her and what it is like to be a hero, bombarded with thousands of duties and millions of expectations. She secretly hopes that he will never leave.

Korra notices her dad acting very strangely every time he finds Korra and Danny together. Danny relates to her the conversation he had with Tonraq, Zuko, and Lin in the bar when they were waiting for Korra.

"So yeah, in short, everyone, including the Fire Lord, thinks we're dating," Danny finishes.

She laughs. "Don't they know that I'm not into spirits?"

The South Pole was not the getaway she had expected it to be. There have been nonstop blizzards. Even she is becoming weary and she adores the snow. Finally, one day, the weather clears up and Danny suggests taking Naga for a ride; Korra loves the idea. Senna warns them to be careful. They assure her that they will be.

They ride off. It feels good to feel the cold wind on their faces. It feels so liberating to be outside after days of being cooped up inside in because of the never-ending snow. The only times they were allowed to leave the house was when Danny would escort Korra to her healing sessions with Katara.

They ride far all the way to the spirit portal. Danny leaps off Naga and helps Korra down. They walk through the portal to escape the snow and the cold. They sit by the tree and reminisce about their adventures.

Korra asks him to tell him some more stories - if he can remember - about his own adventures. He tells her about Vlad Masters, how he had a crush on Danny's mom, how Vlad was always trying to sabotage Danny's dad, while trying to flirt with his mom.

Korra laughs. She has been laughing quite a lot these days. It makes her feel better, stronger, lighter. She does not feel as broken as before. 'Laughter really is the best medicine.'

They talk and talk and they want to continue, but they are interrupted by a sudden daze of purple light forming a circle at the entrance of the spirit portal. Korra is taken aback and looks at Danny, who sports a knowing look written all over his face. She then realizes that this is his ghost portal. He looks at Korra and she understands. She knows he must go. Who knows when another portal will just happen to appear?

The portal is growing in size. "Well, I guess it's time for me to go Danny starts relaying his last words to her. "Tell everyone that I said good-bye, that I'll miss them, that I'll think about them, and that I'm happy that I have met them."

"I promise." They hug for a really long time. She does not want to let him go. She does not want him to leave. She does not want to be alone. With him, she is never alone.

She tries to laugh, to make herself feel better, to make their last moments together happy and filled with mirth, but she cannot. They diffuse the hug and they hold hands for a moment, again not wanting to let go. They look into each other's blue eyes and his hand slips from her grasp. He goes ghost and zips to the portal. He is about to go in, but he freezes. He turns around and looks at Korra. She is watching him and smiling. She knows he has to go. She will be strong. She will get over this, but she will never forget him.

She sees him fly over to her. She wonders what he wants. He swoops her into her arms and carries her to the portal with him. She realizes what he is doing.

"Danny! Stop! This is crazy! Put me down!"

"No can do, Korra. No can do."

"Yes, you can. It's very simple, just let me go!"

She fights back. She cannot leave her world. She has a duty to it. He looks down at her and their eyes meet again.

He smiles. "Korra, it's time you went on a _real_ vacation."


End file.
